April 27, 2021
Biden 100 Days, April 2021
Marist National Poll
Biden at High Point as 100 Day Mark Nears… Partisan Divide Defines His Presidency
More than six in ten Americans say Joe Biden has either met or exceeded their expectations of him as president. They also say Biden is keeping his campaign promises, and nearly half of Americans think the direction Biden is moving the nation in is “change for the better.” Summing up Biden’s performance during his first 100 days in office, 49% of Americans grace Biden with a “B” or better,” including 22% who rate him with an “A” and 27% who give him a “B.” On all of these questions, Biden surpasses former President Donald Trump at any point in his presidency. However, Biden falls short in comparison with his former boss, President Barack Obama, at the 100th day mark in Obama’s first term.
62% of Americans think Biden has met (48%) or has exceeded their expectations (14%). 37% say he has fallen short, including 71% of Republicans.
63% of Americans, including 30% of Republicans, think Biden is keeping his campaign promises. 35% of adults disagree.
47% of registered voters say Biden is changing the direction of the nation for the better. 37% say it is for the worse, and 15% say there is no real change. At comparable times in their presidencies, 37% believed Trump was a change for the better, and 54% said the same of Obama.
Registered voters grade President Biden’s first 100 days in office with the following: 22% “A,” 27% “B,” 14% “C,” 10% “D,” and 27% “F.” 86% of Democrats and 44% of independents grade Biden with a “B” or better. Only 7% of Republicans give his performance at least a “B.”
Reflecting the nation’s greater polarization, 27% of registered voters give Biden a failing grade of “F,” as did 32% of voters who gave Trump the lowest rating at a similar time in his presidency. In contrast, only 11% gave Obama a failing grade at the 100 day point.
49% of residents say Biden’s decisions have strengthened the U.S. economy. Opinion of Biden’s economic decisions are comparable to the highest point in Trump’s presidency (50%) in October 2019.
54% of residents think Biden’s decisions have strengthened America’s role on the world stage, exceeding public opinion of Trump by a wide margin at any time in Trump’s first year.
Biden’s job approval rating (54%) is at the highest of his presidency, though comparable to the 53% he received earlier this month. 44% disapprove. 25% of Americans strongly approve of how Biden is doing. 32% strongly disapprove.
“Most polls show President Biden enjoying majority approval, ranging from low to mid-fifties, for the job he’s doing as president during these first 100 days,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist Poll. “However, the gap between those who approve and disapprove of him has narrowed from 14 points to 10 points as fewer Americans are unsure.”
Other Findings
Majority of Americans Vaccinated for COVID-19
57% of Americans report they have already received a COVID-19 vaccine. This is a jump from 36% since the end of March generally due to the proportion who said they would get vaccinated when it was available to them. Sixteen percent still say they intend to be vaccinated when they can. 25% report they will not get vaccinated which remains unchanged from the previous poll. 50% of Trump backers and 44% of Republicans refuse to be vaccinated.
A Return to “Normal?”
Despite the COVID-19 vaccine rollout across the country, nearly three in four Americans (73%) say daily life for them won’t return to normal for, at least, six months. 15% think it will be less than six months while 2% report things will never go back to normal. Rare bipartisan consensus exists. 78% of Democrats, 65% of Republicans, and 75% of independents report it will be six months or longer before they experience a pre- COVID sense of normalcy.