The Biden Administration, March 2021

NPR/Marist National Poll

Biden Approval Rating Up to 52%…Seven in Ten Americans Say They Have or Will Receive COVID Vaccine

A majority of Americans approve of President Joe Biden’s job performance. He also receives majority approval on the issues of the economy and, especially, the coronavirus pandemic. Yet, only a little more than one in three approve of how the president is handling immigration.

Biden Approval
Do you approve or disapprove of the job Joe Biden is doing as president?
Source: NPR / Marist Poll National Adults. Interviews conducted Mar. 22nd – Mar. 25th, 2021, n=1309 MOE +/- 3.4%
  • 52% of Americans approve of Biden’s overall job performance, up from 49% earlier this month. Notably, a plurality of independents (48%) approve of how Biden is doing his job. They divided, 43% to 43%, last time.

  • 51% of Americans approve of how Biden is handling the economy. 41% disapprove. Earlier in March, 46% approved and 41% disapproved.

  • 65% approve of how Biden is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic compared with a positive rating of 62% earlier this month. 30% of 2020 Trump voters now approve of Biden’s efforts up from 22% just a few weeks ago.

  • Americans are less likely to approve of Biden’s performance on immigration (34% approve to 53% disapprove). In January 2018, 38% approved of former President Donald Trump’s performance on the issue. 58% disapproved.

36% of Americans, up from 22% three weeks ago, say they have already received a coronavirus vaccine, and an additional 34% say they will receive the vaccine once it is available to them. The proportion of Americans who say they will not be vaccinated has decreased to 25% from 30%. Opposition to the vaccine is driven mainly by Republicans (36%), including 46% of Republican men, and Trump supporters (40%), although fewer Republicans and Trump supporters now say they will refuse to get the vaccine. 41% of the GOP and 47% of Trump supporters said they would not be vaccinated in the last survey conducted earlier in March. There is no statistical difference across racial lines (whites (24%), Blacks (22%), and Latinos (24%)) when it comes to reluctance to take the vaccine. However, there is a difference in proportions who have already done so. 40% of whites, 34% of Blacks, and 28% of Latinos report they have been vaccinated.

“The numbers are slowly trending upward among those who have taken or are willing to take the vaccine, from 62% in January to 67% earlier this month to 70% currently,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist Poll. “Yet, two important issues remain: continued acceptance of Trump voters to be vaccinated and greater access to the vaccine for people of color.”