A large majority of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, according to an NBC News poll that finds growing disapproval of President Joe Biden's performance.
Seventy-one percent of respondents said the nation is "on the wrong track," according to the poll, which last week queried 1,000 adults. Nearly half of Democrats agreed with that sentiment, and just 22 percent of those surveyed said the country was headed in the right direction.
The poll also found that Biden's approval rating has cratered in recent months. Fifty-four percent say they disapprove of the president's performance, up 6 points since August. His approval rating is down to just 42 percent.
Much of the decline in the president's approval came from Democrats, NBC said. The United States has seen a number of disruptions and setbacks both domestically and internationally over the last several months, including the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, rampant inflation, supply-chain shortages, and a still-deadly pandemic.
Pollsters told NBC News the numbers show that Biden has lost the confidence of many voters.
"The promise of the Biden presidency—knowledge, competence and stability in tough times—have all been called into question," Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt told the outlet.
"What people voted for was stability and calm," said Peter Hart, another Democratic pollster. "And what they got was instability and chaos."