BROOKVILLE, NY, January 26, 2021 – Results of a breaking Long Island University Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling and Analysis national poll reveal America’s first impression of President Biden and opportunities for common ground in 2021.
PDF Format – Includes sample and methodology detail
A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS ARE CONFIDENT THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN WILL DO A GOOD JOB HANDLING THE CORONAVIRUS (64%) AND THE ECONOMY (53%)
Americans were asked if they believe President Biden will do a good job handling the coronavirus. Of the respondents, 64% said yes, 20% said no, and 16% said they didn’t know or gave no answer. 92% of Democrats, 55% of Independents/other, and 35% of Republicans said they believed President Biden will do a good job handling the coronavirus. When asked if they believe President Biden will do a good job handling the economy, 53% of respondents said yes, 28% said no, and 20% said they didn’t know or gave no answer. 85% of Democrats, 40% of Independents/other, and 22% of Republicans said they believed President Biden will do a good job handling the economy.
DO AMERICANS BELIEVE PRESIDENT BIDEN WILL BRING THE COUNTRY TOGETHER?
- BEFORE JANUARY 6 EVENTS ON THE CAPITOL (DECEMBER 21-22, 2020 NATIONAL POLL): 47% of Americans said yes, 34% said no, 19% said unsure/no answer.
- AFTER JANUARY 6 EVENTS ON THE CAPITOL (JANUARY 21-22, 2021 NATIONAL POLL): 52% of Americans said yes, 26% said no, 22% said unsure/no answer.
Americans were asked if they believe President Biden will bring the country together. A comparison of national polls conducted by the Long Island University Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling, and Analysis in the days before and after the events on January 6 indicate that the Capital riots increased American confidence in President Biden’s leadership in unifying the country. The difference in respondents’ affirmative answer increased by five percentage points when asked if President Biden will bring the country together, from 47% in the December poll to 52% in the January 21-22, 2021 poll. Political identification of respondents made a difference. In the earlier poll, 75% of Democrats, 38% of Independents/other, and 20% of Republicans said they believed President Biden will bring the country together. In the latter poll, 82% of Democrats, 41% of Independents/other, and 26% of Republicans said they believe President Biden will bring the country together.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMON GROUND AMONG PARTIES INCLUDE ISSUES ON CORONAVIRUS, ECONOMY, AND SAFE REOPENING OF SCHOOLS
National poll results found that more Americans agreed with President Biden’s first week of executive orders and memorandums on issues related to coronavirus measures, the economy, and safe reopening of schools, suggesting opportunities for common ground among parties.
Do you agree with President Biden’s first week of executive orders and memorandums to:
IMPROVE AND EXPAND ACCESS TO CARE AND TREATMENTS FOR COVID-19
93% of Democrats, 76% of Independents/other, and 62% of Republicans said YES.
PROMOTE COVID-19 SAFETY IN DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
91% of Democrats, 73% of Independents/other, and 57% of Republicans said YES.
LAUNCH A “100 DAYS MASKING CHALLENGE” TO ENCOURAGE AMERICANS TO WEAR MASKS
94% of Democrats, 65% of Independents/other, and 48% of Republicans said YES.
EXTEND EVICTION MORATORIUM FOR RENTERS WHO HAVE FALLEN BEHIND ON THEIR BILLS DUE TO UNEMPLOYMENT OR REDUCED WAGES DURING THE PANDEMIC
87% of Democrats, 65% of Independents/other, and 59% of Republicans said YES.
RESTORE A TEAM IN CHARGE OF PANDEMIC RESPONSE WITHIN THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
92% of Democrats, 59% of Independents/other, and 43% of Republicans said YES.
REJOIN THE UNITED STATES WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
92% of Democrats, 56% of Independents/other, and 40% of Republicans said YES.
SUPPORT THE SAFE REOPENING OF SCHOOLS
56% of Democrats, 49% of Independents/other, and 58% of Republicans said YES.
MIXED RESPONSE AMONG PARTIES INCLUDE ISSUES ON IMMIGRATION, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND GLOBAL RELATIONS
National poll results found a mixed response among parties on President Biden’s first week of executive orders and memorandums on issues related to immigration, climate change, and global relations.
Do you agree with President Biden’s first week of executive orders and memorandums to:
PRESERVE AND FORTIFY THE DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS (DACA) PROGRAM WHICH PROTECTS IMMIGRANTS BROUGHT TO THE UNITED STATES AS CHILDREN
86% of Democrats, 56% of Independents/other, and 38% of Republicans said YES.
REJOIN THE UNITED STATES TO THE PARIS AGREEMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE
89% of Democrats, 52% of Independents/other, and 37% of Republicans said YES.
PAUSE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BORDER WALL WITH MEXICO
87% of Democrats, 49% of Independents/other, and 29% of Republicans said YES.
INCLUDE UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE CENSUS
79% of Democrats, 45% of Independents/other, and 26% of Republicans said YES.
REMOVE THE MUSLIM BAN THAT RESTRICTED ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATE FROM MAJORITY-MUSLIM COUNTRIES
76% of Democrats, 44% of Independents/other, and 27% of Republicans said YES.
WHAT ONE ISSUE MATTERS MOST FOR AMERICANS
While a variety of reasons were mentioned, the coronavirus and the economy were the issues that mattered most for Americans. The coronavirus was the one issue that mattered most for Democrats (40%). The economy was the one issue that mattered most for Republicans (40%) and Independents (29%).
HIGH VIEWERSHIP OF INAUGURATION
National poll results found that 7 out of 10 respondents tuned in to watch President Biden’s Inauguration. High viewership of the event was supported by Neilsen ratings that estimated 33.8 million Americans watched President Biden’s Inauguration, which exceeded the nearly 31 million Americans that watched President Trump’s Inauguration in 2017 by comparison.
METHODOLOGY
This Long Island University Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling, and Analysis online poll was conducted through SurveyMonkey from January 21 – 22, 2021 among a national sample of 1,622 adults ages 18 and up. Respondents for this survey were selected from over 2.5 million people who take surveys on the SurveyMonkey platform each day. Data for this week have been weighted for age and gender using the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to reflect the demographic composition of the United States. The modeled error estimate for this survey is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
ABOUT THE LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY STEVEN S. HORNSTEIN CENTER FOR POLICY, POLLING, AND ANALYSIS
The Long Island University Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling, and Analysis conducts independent polling, empirical research, and analysis on a wide range of public issues. Our studies inform the public and policy makers about critical issues, attitudes, and trends shaping the world. Visit liu.edu/Hornstein for more information and results from this national poll.
ABOUT LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY
Long Island University, founded in 1926, continues to redefine higher education, providing high quality academic instruction by world-class faculty. Recognized by Forbes for its emphasis on experiential learning and by the Brookings Institution for its “value added” to student outcomes, LIU offers over 250 degree programs, with a network of 270,000 alumni that includes industry leaders and entrepreneurs across the globe. Visit liu.edu for more information.
