(NewsNation) — Fewer people approve of the job President Joe Biden is doing and more Americans view China as the biggest threat to U.S. national security compared to a year ago, according to the last 12 months of NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ polls.
These polls have monitored the pulse of the country over the past year, tracking Americans' views on upcoming elections, inflation, immigration and personal finances.
Here's how attitudes have — and haven't — changed.
Fewer approve of President Joe Biden
Approval rating (Nov. 2023): +16 disapprove (58%)
Approval rating (Oct. 2022): +12 disapprove (56%)
Biden's approval rating has trended in the wrong direction in recent months. After narrowing the gap to nearly four percentage points in August, the split between those who disapprove (58%) versus approve (42%) of the president's job grew to 16 points just three months later in November.
Key shift: Democrats, Republicans and independents all disapprove of Biden at higher rates than a year ago, but the shift is especially pronounced among younger adults. Today, over 57% of adults ages 18 to 34 disapprove of the way the president is handling his job, up from 49% just over a year ago.
Part of that decline may have to do with Biden's support for Israel. Younger Americans are particularly sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and most think the U.S. isn't doing enough to help them, polling suggests.
Most think the country is on the wrong track
Right track vs wrong track (Nov. 2023): +48 wrong track (69%)
Right track vs wrong track (May 2023): +53 wrong track (71%)
Nearly 70% of Americans think the country is on the wrong track, roughly the same portion who felt that way since NewsNation began tracking the question in May. Republicans are slightly more pessimistic about the direction of the country than they were six months ago, while Democrats are a bit more optimistic.
Key shift: Overall, Americans' outlook remains dismal and little has changed over the past six months. One bright spot for Biden: The percentage of Democrats who think the country is on the right track jumped from 33% in May to 40% in November.
Inflation remains the top issue but immigration is a growing concern
Bigger Problem (Nov. 2023): Inflation (52%)
Bigger Problem (Oct. 2022): Inflation (66%)
Today, just over half of Americans (52%) say inflation is a bigger problem than immigration, crime and unemployment. That's considerably lower than in October last year, when 66% of respondents ranked inflation ahead of unemployment, crime and COVID-19.
The biggest shift came in May when NewsNation listed "immigration" in place of "COVID-19." Since then, around 20% of those surveyed have selected immigration as the country's top issue.
Key shift: Republicans have become more likely to rank immigration ahead of inflation. Last month, 37% of GOP respondents said immigration was a bigger problem than inflation, crime and unemployment — up from 30% who felt that way in May.
More Americans see China as the top threat
Top threat (Nov. 2023): China (43%)
Top threat (Oct. 2022): Russia (37%)
More Americans on both sides of the political aisle now view China, not Russia, as the top threat to U.S. national security. The increased skepticism comes after a series of contentious encounters including a suspected spy balloon in U.S. airspace and a Chinese naval patrol near Alaska.
Some Americans have also grown skeptical of TikTok, a popular social media app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced legislation to ban the app, however, a vote is unlikely before the start of 2024, according to Reuters.
Key shift: Americans' perceptions are highly influenced by current events. With the war in Ukraine grabbing less headlines, fewer people see Russia as the top threat.
One of the most significant shifts over the past year came after Hamas' surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7. After that, the proportion of people who viewed Iran as the top threat jumped nearly 10 points due to the nation's close ties with Hamas and other terrorist groups in the region.
Increasing anxiety about finances
% who feel worse off financially (Nov. 2023): 50%
% who feel worse off financially (Oct. 2022): 47%
People were starting to feel better about their financial situation over the summer but that sentiment has changed recently. The percentage of survey respondents who said they were worse off compared to a year ago dropped seven points from 47% in Oct. 2022 to 40% in Aug. 2023.
Since August, Americans have been feeling worse about their finances. In November, 50% of those surveyed said they were doing worse financially than the year before — the highest proportion in over a year.
Key shift: Republicans are more worried about their finances today compared to a year ago. In Oct. 2022, roughly 57% of GOP respondents said they were worse off. Now, 65% feel that way.