Voters are giving President Biden high marks for his response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but it is not enough to lift his approval ratings which remain stagnant at 42%, according to a Wall Street Journal poll released Friday.
The 42% approval rating matches the result from the same poll in November, while 57% of those surveyed Friday said they disapproved of Mr. Biden’s overall performance.
Mr. Biden’s handling of the Ukraine war was a bright spot for him with 50% of voters saying they approved of how he had dealt with Russia, compared to 46% who disapproved.
A separate question about Mr. Biden’s response to the crisis in Ukraine earned him a 47% approval rating, compared to a 46% who disapproved.
An overwhelming majority of those surveyed, 79%, said they approved of Mr. Biden banning Russian oil imports.
The economy, however, remains a thorn in Mr. Biden’s side. The poll found that 63% of voters disapproved of how he has responded to inflation, and 47% said Republicans were better able to handle the economy.
About 30% of respondents said Democrats were better prepared to handle the economy.
The poll matches similar surveys which show Mr. Biden’s approval rating in the high-30% or low-40% range, underscoring voters’ concern about rising consumer prices.
The Wall Street Journal poll surveyed 1,500 registered voters from March 2-7 and has a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.