Young Americans’ support for President Joe Biden continues to spiral on a downward decline, according to a new poll released by the Harvard Institute of Politics (IOP) on Monday.
Biden’s approval rating among Americans aged 18-29 plummeted to 36%, according to the press release. The percentage fell 3 points from the fall 2022 survey and 5 points from spring 2022.
A majority of respondents disapprove of Biden’s handling of the economy, inflation and race relations as well as his policies about the war in Ukraine and response to gun violence, according to the results. Biden’s approval rating was slightly higher among registered young voters at 38% and is highest among Democratic voters.
While Biden has not formally announced his intent to run for a second term, he is expected to do so at some point this week, according to The Washington Post. Three sources told the Post that Biden aides will release a video of the president announcing his reelection plans on Tuesday — the four-year anniversary of his 2020 launch.
A second term for the incumbent is growing unpopular among the Democratic base as nearly half of the party’s voters see Biden as too old for office, a Yahoo/YouGov poll revealed. Biden was reportedly supposed to unveil his reelection aspirations in February, but the announcement was put on ice.
The poll is conducted biannually by the Harvard Public Opinion Project to weigh young Americans’ opinions about a variety of topics, the press release reads. Respondents were also polled on their mental health, trust in the Supreme Court and opinions on gun laws and health care.
The spring 2023 results found that 55% of respondents reported feeling “nervous, anxious, or on edge” while 47% reported being “down, depressed or hopeless” for several days in the past two weeks, according to the results. A majority of the respondents supported stricter gun laws and nearly half reported feeling “unsafe” during the past month.
The percentage of respondents that trust the Supreme Court to “do the right thing” fell 10 percentage points since 2018 with the largest decline in trust coming from young women, the results showed. A majority of respondents agreed that health insurance is a “right,” with the percentage increasing from 42% in 2013 to 65% in 2023.
“The data collected in this poll clearly demonstrates not only the growing levels of political engagement among young people, but the urgency of addressing serious issues such as mental health, gun violence, housing, and more,” Setti Warren, IOP director, said in the press release. “The results of previous Harvard Youth polls have had a direct influence on public policy, and I expect to see that trend continue.”
This semester’s data was collected from 2,069 respondents between March 13 and March 22, the press release reads. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.86%.
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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