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Poll finds most approve how Biden is handling pandemic

Joe Biden
Posted at 6:14 AM, Mar 12, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-12 06:30:01-05

President Joe Biden has approval from most Americans on how he is handling the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new poll.

The survey results from NPR, PBS NewsHour, and Marist College come just as a new $1.9 trillion stimulus deal was signed into law on Thursday. Of the 1,227 U.S. adults involved in the poll, 62 percent said Biden was handling the public health crisis well. Participants were interviewed over the phone in English and Spanish between March 3 and March 8. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points, according to NPR.

Thirty percent of Republicans and 22 percent of Trump supporters involved in the poll were part of the approval rating.

Forty-nine percent of Americans approve of Biden's presidency overall. Donald Trump only ever reached 45.8 percent during his presidency, and ended his term with a 38 percent approval rating.

The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist survey also asked questions about COVID-19 and the vaccine. Three-quarters said they know someone who has gotten sick from the virus, and 36 percent said they know someone who has died from it.

Two-thirds of people said they have either gotten the vaccine or will get it. Only 30 percent said they didn't plan to get the vaccine. That's an improvement from the 44 percent who said they wouldn't in September of last year.