CNN Shock Poll: Biden drops 9 points among Hispanics, most Americans say president out of focus on priorities

A new poll conducted by the Central News Network (CNN) and the SSRS market research polling firm says the “the summer of 2022 is a season of deepening and widespread discontent,” and found that America’s outlook on the nation’s affairs are the worst they’ve been since President Barack Obama first took office in 2009.

The poll reports that almost 7 in 10 Americans believe President Joe Biden is out of focus on the nation’s most important issues pressing the nation, and that his numbers have slipped nine points among Hispanic American adults and six points among Black adults.

“Likewise, there's been a steep drop among people of color, from 41% saying things were going well in the spring to 27% now,” the network reported.

The president’s current, overall approval rating is 38% with a solid 62% disapproving, but his approval for handling key issues such as the economy are at a dismal 30% with inflation even lower at only 25%, the polls said.

In 2009, CNN and SRRS found of Obama that, “Only 45 percent say he has a clear plan for solving the country's problems – the only item on which a majority has a negative view of him.

The network added that that 75% of Americans view inflation and the rising cost of living the most important problems facing their family. That new number is an extraordinary jump from last year’s 43%--which is creeping slowly to a rate that is only 11% away from having doubled.

The president is also facing crushing resistance from his own party as his approval rating among Democrats have sloped 13 points from 86% to 73%.

Among his own party members, the president’s numbers on the economy dropped nine points from 71% to 62% and his approval on inflation barely holds the majority of Democrats at 51%.

The reasons behind the continuing decline are not opaque.

The network specified that most Americans simply don’t like how the president is handling most critical issues. Only 12% strongly approve of the way he’s handling the presidency while 43% strongly disapprove, and in a shock revelation, only 28% of Democrats strongly approve.

“The public's perceptions of the economy and of how things are going in the country overall are deeply negative and worsening. Since the spring, the share saying things are going badly for the country has climbed 11 points to 79%, the highest since February 2009, and shy of the all-time worst reached in November 2008 by just four points. That shift comes largely among Democrats. Just 38% of Democrats now say things are going well in the country, down from 61% this spring,” the network reported.

On the economy front, only 18% of Americans were willing to say the U.S. economy was in good shape, while 82% said the economy was hurting.

“About 4 in 10 (41%) describe the economy as ‘very poor,’ up 11 points since the spring and nearly doubled since December. As some economists warn of a looming recession, most Americans think the country is already there,” the network reported.

The poll said 64% of Americans believe the United States is already experiencing a recession, including 56% of Democrats, 63% of independents and 76% of Republicans. 

While those polled said they view the broad issues of inflation as the key problem for their family, 29% directly referenced gas prices, and 18% complaining about the rising cost of food.

One poll participant said, “Prices on everything just keeps getting higher and higher. is it going to stop?” Another said, “I work 40 plus hours and can barely afford to survive. With the price of gas and price of food so high, I don't see how anyone can have extra money to do anything other than work.” Another participant said, “Inflation causes so much pain with everything we buy and everything we do.”

Still, the president is not focused enough on these, particular key issues, the participants said. Sixty eight percent of those polled said Biden is not focused enough on the nation’s pressing issues, a 10% increase from November—and nine points above the 59% who said the same of former President Donald Trump in late 2017.

“On this question too, Biden is losing ground among his core support groups. Among Democrats, 57% say he has the right priorities, down nearly 20 points from 75% last fall. Among people of color, just 35% say he has the right priorities, and among those younger than 35, only 23% say the President has the right focus,” the network said.

In 2009, CNN’s Polling Director, Keating Holland, said that Obama was able to maintain some of his numbers “by retaining a reservoir of goodwill left over from his election to the White House a year ago. Six in 10 say Obama inspires confidence in them [and] six in 10 also call him a strong leader who is honest and trustworthy. Sixty-three percent say he is not a typical politician. More than half give Obama a thumbs-up on 11 of the 12 personal characteristics tested.”

The new 2022 CNN poll was conducted during a month long period by SSRS from June 13 to July 13 “among a random national sample of 1,459 adults” and has “a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.”