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President Biden's job approval rating has improved slightly over the past two months, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll indicates, though he and Democrats still face challenges ahead of the midterms.
By the numbers: Biden's approval rating stands at 42% per the poll, five points up from February's version of the same poll. His disapproval rating decreased since February by three points to 52%.
Details: While Biden got his highest numbers for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic — with 51% approving — he received significantly lower marks on his handling of the economy, with 38% approval. Twenty-eight percent approved of his handling of inflation.
In a positive indicator for Democrats, the poll found that roughly equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans plan to vote in House races in November — 46% and 45% respectively — a marker that's often a key indicator of the size of the potential shifts in Congress, the Post writes.
- But, but, but: Respondents favored Republicans on key issues expected to shape the midterms' outcomes, including the economy, crime, inflation and immigration.
- Respondents trusted Democrats to better handle education, abortion and equal treatment of groups regardless of racial, ethnic or gender identity.
Methodology: The poll was conducted from April 24-28 among a random national sample of 1,004 adults, with 75% reached on cellphones and 25% via landlines. The margin of sampling error is 3.5 percentage points.