A majority of people blame President Joe Biden for the divisions among Americans, according to a new poll conducted before Thanksgiving.
A Trafalgar Group poll in partnership with Convention of the States Action asked respondents: "To what extent do you believe President Biden is responsible for the divisions in the American people?"
Results showed that 54.2 percent of likely general election voters asked believed Biden was responsible "for the divisions in the American people," though there was a clear partisan divide on this point.
The Trafalgar Group poll found that 45.8 percent of respondents said the president was not very responsible or not at all responsible for divisions among Americans.
A plurality of 39.4 percent of respondents said Biden was "very responsible," while 14.8 percent said he was "somewhat responsible." Then 12.6 percent said he was "not very responsible" and 33.2 percent said Biden was "not responsible at all."
There was a stark divide between Republicans and Democrats on the question, with 63.3 percent of Republicans saying that Biden was "very responsible" for the country's divisions and 24.7 percent saying he was somewhat responsible.
Just 4.5 percent of GOP respondents said Biden was not very responsible and 7.5 percent said he was not responsible at all.
By contrast, 58 percent of Democrats said Biden was not at all responsible for divisions among Americans, while 20.7 percent said he was not very responsible. Just 16 percent of Democrats said Biden was very responsible, with a further 5.3 percent saying he was somewhat responsible.
Biden has spoken repeatedly of his desire to unite the nation, though this polling is yet further evidence that divides remain.
Another finding that may be cause for concern in the Biden camp is the fact that most respondents who identified as no party or other blamed the president for divisions to some extent.
Among that group, 46.7 percent held Biden very responsible and 17.4 percent believed he was somewhat responsible. Another 10 percent said he was not very responsible, while 25.9 percent said he was not at all responsible.
The poll surveyed 1,092 likely general election voters from November 13 to November 16 and has a margin of error of 2.97 percent for results from questions posed to the entire sample.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment on the poll findings.
Poll tracker FiveThirtyEight gives the Trafalgar Group an A- rating.
Convention of States Action is a nonprofit group that is seeking to call a convention of the states under Article V of the U.S. Constitution. It has been endorsed by Fox News host Sean Hannity and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, among others.
The latest poll findings come as Biden has faced stubbornly low approval ratings for months and some polls have shown him losing in a hypothetical match up with former President Donald Trump in 2024.
The latest figures from the Trafalgar Group also come with a series of polls having appeared to show Americans have doubts about the president.
A recent Fox News poll found that a majority of voters believed Biden's age was interfering with his ability to do his job, while a POLITICO/Morning Consult poll earlier this month found that 48 percent of registered voters didn't believe the president was mentally fit.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more
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