CNN’s senior data reporter Harry Enten recently analyzed the impact of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union (SOTU) address on voters, focusing on polling data to gauge public perception.
Biden’s 2024 SOTU speech addressed pressing issues such as the war in Ukraine, the January 6 Capitol riots, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Enten’s analysis revealed no significant change in how Americans view Biden following his speech.
(Credits: Global Government Forum)
Before the State of the Union address, 33% of respondents held positive views toward Biden. After the speech, this figure remained unchanged at 33%, indicating no shift in favorability toward the president.
While the percentage of voters who viewed Biden negatively increased slightly, rising from 50% to 54%, Enten attributed this difference to the margin of error in the polling data.
Enten emphasized that the lack of movement in Biden’s popularity was not surprising, as traditionally, SOTU addresses have not resulted in significant shifts in public opinion.
Biden (Credits: Reuters)
Despite initial speculation that Biden’s speech might impact his favorability, the polling data showed consistent ratings before and after the event.
The poll, conducted from March 8 to 9, surveyed 536 adults aged 18 and older, and the margin of error was plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Comparatively, former President Donald Trump holds a slight edge over Biden in terms of favorability. Biden’s favorability rating stands at 40.1%, with 55.4% rating him unfavorably.
In contrast, Trump’s favorability rating is slightly higher at 42.1%, with 54.2% viewing him unfavorably, according to RealClearPolitics averages as of late February.
