Joe Biden’s extraordinary decision to not pursue the Democratic nomination for president has upended the 2024 presidential race, with Vice President Kamala Harris emerging as a strong favorite for the Democratic nomination. Here are some of the key public opinion dynamics around Biden’s choice.
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63% of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Donald Trump, while 35% view him favorably. A year ago, Trump’s rating stood at 60% unfavorable.
Overwhelmingly, people believe the U.S. interferes in the affairs of other countries (82%), but most also believe the U.S. contributes to peace and stability around the world (61%). U.S. President Joe Biden receives mostly positive reviews from publics around the world with 54% expressing confidence in Biden, while 39% say they lack confidence in him.
Democrats hold the edge on many issues, but more Americans agree with Republicans on the economy, crime and immigration. Inflation remains the top concern for Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, with 77% saying it is a very big problem. For Democrats and Democratic leaners, gun violence is the top concern, with about 81% saying it is a very big problem.
If a Biden-Trump rematch comes about in 2024, it would be the seventh presidential rematch in U.S. history, and the first since the 1950s.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted international travel in 2020 and 2021, but diplomatic travel picked up significantly in 2022.
Americans express highly negative views of President Joe Biden, congressional leadership in both parties and Congress more broadly. Views of the economy remain overwhelmingly negative, and there has been a sharp rise in the share who say the country cannot solve many of its important problems.
Joe Biden’s job rating is fairly comparable to Ronald Reagan’s (42%) and Bill Clinton’s (41%) at this stage of their presidencies.
While the economy remains the dominant issue in this fall’s midterm elections, the issue of abortion has increased markedly in importance. More voters continue to view their midterm vote as an expression of opposition to Joe Biden than support for him. But across both parties, more voters now say Biden is not much of a factor in their vote.
In his second year in office, Joe Biden receives generally positive ratings in the 18 countries surveyed in spring 2022.
A median of 55% of adults in 18 surveyed countries have confidence in Kamala Harris to do the right thing regarding world affairs.
© 2024 Pew Research Center
