A 51% majority say the American middle class has not benefited from President Joe Biden’s policies at all, according to a new Monmouth University poll.
The poll also found that though worries about inflation have receded somewhat, it remains a top concern for Americans.
According to the survey, just 10% of Americans say that middle-class families have benefited a lot from Biden’s policies so far, compared to June, 2021, when 19% said the middle class benefited a lot and 36% said they didn’t benefit at all.
“Biden’s appeal when he ran for president was that he understands the average Joe,” Patrick Murray, director of Monmouth University Polling Institute, said. “Reaction to his policy agenda, however, suggests it is an area where he remains weak.”
The president’s current numbers are similar to those of former President Donald Trump in the first year of his administration, the poll found. In December, 2017, 11% said the middle class was helped a lot by Trump’s policies, and 53% said not at all. By the end of Trump’s term, 32% said his policies helped the middle class a lot and 32% said they didn’t help at all.
Now, 38% of Americans describe themselves as middle class, compared to 29% who describe themselves as working class, 14% as poor, and 16% as upper-middle class or higher.
Overall, 41% of Americans say they are struggling to remain in the same place financially, while 46% say their finances are stable, and only 12% feel their situation is improving. Nearly 9 in 10 of those who consider themselves poor say they are struggling, along with roughly half of the working class, nearly 30% of the middle class, and about 1 in 8 of those who are upper-middle class or better off.
At 45% and 46%, respectively, Republicans and independents are more likely to report they are struggling than Democrats (28%), the poll found.
One-quarter of Americans cited inflation (24%) or rising gas prices (1%) as their family’s biggest concern right now, which has dropped from 33% who said inflation and 15% who said gas prices last summer. Other top concerns mentioned included the economy, at 12%, and paying bills, also at 12%.
The poll was conducted March 16-20 by the Monmouth University Polling Institute and surveyed 805 U.S. adults. The margin of error is plus or minus 5.8 percentage points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n