People walk past the Times Square in New York City, U.S./Reuters
A majority of the U.S. public is pessimistic about the direction of the country, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll suggests. Fifty-five percent of Americans polled said they felt pessimistic about where the country was headed over the next year, compared to 45 percent who were optimistic, a nearly 20-point drop in overall optimism from the same poll in May.
Participants across all age groups, income and education levels were asked on July 23 and July 24 how they felt about President Joe Biden's handling of a slate of issues, including the pandemic, economy, immigration and the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The results were a mixed bag. While a majority approved of Biden's handling of the pandemic, economic recovery and the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, he fared less well on issues like immigration, crime and gun violence.
The ABC News/Ipsos did not poll on the level of public concern for increases in COVID-19 infections in recent months, but other polls have reported rising concern over the spread of the Delta variant in the country, ABC News reported.
The Delta variant, which was first found in India, is responsible for a new wave of infections in the U.S., with the sharpest increases in places with lower vaccination rates.
Since spring, Biden's government has been conducting an aggressive vaccination campaign to get shots in arms. However, a reported decrease in the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine in preventing infections by the Delta variant could have contributed to uncertainty and resistance to vaccination in some parts of the country.
U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a campaign event with candidate for Governor of Virginia, U.S., July 23, 2021. /Reuters
Meanwhile, approval for Biden's handling of the country's economic recovery from the pandemic has dropped by seven points since late March, the poll shows. The perception of economic recovery suggests strong partisan biases, with 88 percent of Democrats saying their government is doing a good job, compared to 49 percent of Republicans.
The poll also indicates a less favorable view among the U.S. public on how their government is managing the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, crime and gun violence, with fewer than four in 10 Americans satisfied with the president's performance in these areas.
When asked how well Biden has delivered on his campaign promises, Americans are divided: 52 percent say the president has done a good job keeping those promises, while 47 say he has done a not so good or poor job.