Poll Shows Americans Happy With Biden, Wary of Covid Vaccine

(Bloomberg) -- Most Americans approve of the job President Joe Biden is doing, particularly on dealing with the coronavirus, but still one in five are firm in their refusal to get a vaccine, according to a new poll.

A Monmouth University poll released Wednesday showed Biden’s overall approval rating has risen to 54% from 51% a month ago, with 62% of those polled saying he is doing a good job tackling the virus.

But 21% of Americans state they will never receive a vaccine to prevent infection if they can avoid it, nearly the same number when polled in January and March.

The poll has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points and was conducted from April 8 to 12, before Tuesday’s news that the U.S. would pause distribution of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine after six women developed severe blood clots in the days following their shots.

Patrick Murray, the polling institute director, said “the recent news about J&J vaccines is probably not going to help the situation.”

Nearly half, 46%, of Americans say the country is heading in the right direction. The number is an eight-year high in Monmouth’s polls. During the prior two administrations the number of Americans who were pleased with the direction of the nation was between 18% and 40%. Still, 50% believe it is on the wrong track.

“It may be less than a majority, but the number of people who feel positive about the nation’s trajectory is easily at its highest point in a long time,” Murray said.

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