An increasing number of Americans are unhappy with how President Biden is handling the economy compared to when he took office, according to a new poll.
According to the Washington Post poll released on Sunday, 74% of Americans said the economy is in bad shape, up from 58% in the spring of 2021.
As the U.S. Federal ReserveFederal Reserve increases interest rates to combat record high inflation, 84% of respondents said the economy is top issue, while 74% said the same for inflation going into the midterm elections in November.
62% of the population think abortion is the top issue.
According to the poll, Republicans hold a 16 point lead over Democrats in trust to handle the economy and a 19 point lead in trust to handle inflation.
The U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates in a move to curb decades-high inflation, which is a cause of fears of a recession.
The Fed lifted its benchmark rate, which affects many consumer and business loans, to a range of 3% to 3.25% last week. It was close to zero at the beginning of the year. The Fed released a forecast that its benchmark rate could be up to 4.4% by the end of the year, a full point higher than envisioned in June.
The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the U.S. climbed for the sixth day to $3.725 after declining for nearly 100 days in a row during the summer driving season.