President Joe Biden faces divisions in approval based on gender, race and place of residence, as well as a clear party division.
Biden had the approval of the majority in his presidency, but there is a distinct chasm between Democrats and Republicans.
Aggregate data from the Gallup survey in January, February and March put approval for Biden’s work at 56 percent. For Democrats, that was 96% and Republicans 10%.
Gallup described his number as a “modest honeymoon”, showing his approval as being above the historical average of 53%.
“His honeymoon is being driven by the almost unanimous approval among his fellow Democrats and the approval of the majority among the independents, with the vast majority of Republicans disapproving from the beginning,” said an article next to the approval numbers.
While this party division is clear, the data also showed divisions in other subgroups within the vote.
Men and women diverge, with women giving Biden greater approval. The majority, 62 percent, of women approve of Biden. For men, that figure is 49%.
White adults are also less likely to approve of Biden than black adults.
For black adults, the numbers showed 89% approval for Biden and 8% disapproval. For white adults, that was 45 percent approval and 52 percent disapproval.
The survey also showed Biden’s approval rating among Hispanic adults of 73% and 17% disapproval. Among non-white adults, this represented 78% approval and 15% disapproval.
The location where respondents lived was also a factor, with those in a large city giving Biden 73% approval and 23% disapproval. Those in rural areas gave him 36 percent approval and 61 percent disapproval.
Different age groups also show different points of view. Younger respondents are more likely to support Biden than their older colleagues.
Among those 65 and older, 51 percent approve of Biden and 47 percent disapprove. For those aged between 18 and 29, 66% approve and 27% disapprove.
The aggregated data are based on responses from 2,937 adults, collected in three surveys from January 21 to February 2, from February 3 to 18 and from March 1 to 15. The margin of error in the results based on the total sample is plus or minus 2 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.
Biden has been pushing for unity throughout his time at the White House. Research has shown that he faces an uphill battle.
He asked Americans to come together to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic in comments on Thursday.
“Look, together – together we will get through this stronger, with renewed faith in each other, in our government that fulfills its most important function: protecting the American people,” said Biden.
He asked Trump supporters and their own “give each other a chance” after phone calls declared him the winner of the presidential election. Biden continued to make a similar call for unity in his opening speech.
Newsweek contacted the White House to comment on the president’s approval rating.
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