More than 6 in 10 Americans who watched President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address had a positive reaction to the speech, according to a CNN Poll conducted by SSRS, with a smaller 35% reacting very positively.
That pattern of widespread but tempered positivity mirrors the reception for Biden’s speeches in previous years. Last year, 72% of viewers reacted positively, with 34% saying their reaction was very positive – the lowest “very positive” number in CNN’s polling dating back to 1998. In 2022, 71% had a positive reaction, with 41% saying their reaction was very positive.
As in the past two years, Democratic speech watchers’ reactions to Biden were almost universally positive, with about two-thirds of independents who tuned in offering a positive reaction. Roughly three-quarters of Republicans who watched this year’s address offered a negative review, up from about 6 in 10 for Biden’s past two State of the Union addresses.
Americans who watched on Thursday said, 62% to 38%, that the policies Biden proposed will move the US in the right direction, rather than the wrong direction. In a survey conducted before the speech, just 45% of those same people said Biden’s policies would move the US in the right direction.
Just over 6 in 10 Americans who tuned in expressed at least some confidence in Biden to protect American democracy, while 59% say they have at least some confidence in Biden’s overall ability to carry out his duties as president. Thirty-six percent of those who watched the speech said they have a lot of confidence in Biden to protect American democracy, with 27% expressing some confidence and 37% saying they have no real confidence in him.
Following the speech, 31% of those who watched said they have a lot of confidence in Biden’s ability to carry out his duties…
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