Even prior to the disastrous U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, many Americans disapproved of the job that President Joe Biden had been doing since taking office in January.
A new poll of those who voted for Biden has revealed that approximately one in five, or 20%, now regret having cast their vote for the elderly Democratic president, Breitbart reported.
It must be noted that this poll was conducted before the Afghanistan withdrawal turned chaotic with the Taliban taking control of Kabul, the ad hoc evacuation effort was mounted, U.S. troops were killed in a terrorist suicide bombing outside the Kabul airport, and hundreds of American citizens were left abandoned in that country — meaning the figure may well have already increased.
Biden voter regret
The poll in question was conducted by Zogby Analytics between Aug. 5–13 and included the online survey of 2,173 likely voters who had voted for Biden in the 2020 election with a margin of error of 1.5%.
Overall, 20% of those surveyed said “Yes” when asked if they regretted their vote for Biden, while 76% said “No,” and another 4% were unsure.
Interestingly, the demographic breakdown of the respondents showed that a majority of the regret emanated from voting blocs that Democrats like Biden tend to take for granted, such as younger to middle-aged voters, minorities, and those living in urban areas, in comparison to less regret expressed by older, white, suburban and rural voters.
As noted, this survey was conducted prior to the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, meaning the expressed regret from some of Biden’s voters had been driven by other issues, such as the stagnant economic recovery and rising inflation, or perhaps the surge in COVID-19 cases.
Zogby suggested that “Come next poll, many more voters might be expressing regret” about their vote for Biden once the Afghanistan debacle and Hurricane Ida’s devastation are factored in, particularly “if Biden and company do not score a victory soon.”
Biden’s Afghanistan problem
Meanwhile, an NPR/Marist poll conducted at the height of the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal — between Aug. 26–31, that surveyed 1,241 adults with a margin of error of 3.8% — found that President Biden’s approval rating had dropped precipitously, particularly among independent voters.
Compared to the same poll in early August, Biden’s approval fell six points, from 49% to 43%, which included a five-point drop among Democrats and a 10-point drop with independents.
At the same time, the data shows Biden’s disapproval rating increased by 7 points over the same span, from 44% to 51%, which included an 11-point increase in those who “strongly disapprove” of Biden, from 30% to 41%.
All of that comports with what has been seen in the RealClearPolitics average of polls, which up until Afghanistan crumbled in mid-August, had shown Biden with a strong positive approval rating but has since crossed into negative territory and currently shows the president underwater by about 4.1 points, with 45.2% approving compared to 49.3% disapproving of the job he has done thus far.
The post New survey from before Afghanistan disaster shows Biden voters have regrets first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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