Washington (US), August 5: Backing for US President Joe Biden's handling of the pandemic fell by more than 10 percentage points in July, although the president still enjoyed majority support, a Quinnipiac University poll said on Wednesday.
"With the Delta variant spreading and coronavirus cases once again spiking in the US, President Joe Biden maintains a positive grade on his handling of the coronavirus response as Americans approve 53 - 40 percent," a press release summarizing the poll said.
However, the latest survey shows a double-digit drop from a Quinnipiac poll in May, when Americans approved Biden's handling of the coronavirus response by a 65 - 30 percent margin, the release said.
The drop in support likely reflects a spike in US COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant undercutting optimism in the spring, when cases fell and millions of Americans lined up for vaccinations each week, the release added.
"As the unvaccinated fall victim to the Delta variant, the 'turning the corner' optimism from the White House may be starting to ring premature," Quinnipiac Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said in the release.
On other issues, Biden receives a negative 43 - 48 percent approval rating on the economy, a split 42 - 44 percent approval on foreign policy and a negative 32-55 approval rating on his handling of gun violence, the release said.
The survey also asked whether Americans would be more or less likely to vote for a candidate who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Overall, 19 percent say they would be more likely to vote for the candidate, 41 percent less likely, and Trump's opinion made no difference for the remaining 37 percent, according to the release.
The survey queried 1,290 US adults nationwide from July 27 to August 2, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.
Source: Sputnik