Democrats and Republicans in NJ Sharply Divided Over President Biden
What do you think of the job President Joe Biden is doing so far?
A new poll finds a majority of New Jerseyans, or 53%, approve of Biden’s job performance. But take a closer look.
The poll, conducted by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University, finds 91% of Democrats approve of the job the president is doing while only 12% of Republicans think he’s doing a good job. Meanwhile, 42% of independents approve.
John Froonjian, the executive director of the Hughes Center for Public Policy, said the survey finds 94% of Democrats have confidence in Biden’s ability to improve the economy but only 17% of Republicans do, and 85% of Democrats think he will unify the country, while 19% of Republicans think that will happen.
The survey also finds 94% of Democrats approve of the direction the president is taking on policy, while 10% of Republicans approve, and 97% of Democrats think the presidential election was fair, but only 20% of Republicans agree with that statement.
“On issue after issue, the difference between the two parties are like 60 to 80 percentage points apart. Forget about being on the same page, they’re not even in the same book," said Froonjian. “Joe Biden campaigned on a pledge to unify the country, he’s really got his work cut out for him.”
He said the only issue Democrats and Republicans agree on is the federal stimulus payment — that they wanted more direct stimulus payments.
Froonjian said while there was bipartisan support for more aid, respondents didn’t always agree on how that aid should be allocated.
People from both major parties wanted bigger direct stimulus payments as well as more small business relief. But more Republicans than Democrats wanted at least some foreign aid to be redirected to Americans to help pay for it, and a higher percentage of Democrats supported extending unemployment benefits.
The poll also finds 99% of Democrats feel confident Biden can ease the pandemic, while 47% of Republicans think he will be able to do that.
The poll found 58% of New Jerseyans approve of Gov. Phil Murphy’s job performance, the highest approval rating he’s had since he was elected.