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Joe Biden (at a campaign appearance in North Carolina on March 26)

Photo: Allison Joyce / EPA

A little more than seven months before the US presidential election, incumbent Joe Biden has slightly increased in popularity with voters. In a survey published on Tuesday by the Reuters news agency and the polling institute Ipsos, 40 percent of respondents said the Democrat was doing a good job. In February it was 37 percent. However, 56 percent were dissatisfied with the 81-year-old's work.

At 23 percent (previously: 21 percent), those surveyed were also slightly more concerned about political extremism and threats to democracy. Among Republicans, the share of voters for whom immigration is the most important issue fell from 38 to 32 percent.

The survey also revealed general dissatisfaction among US citizens with key government institutions. 65 percent were unhappy with the work of the House of Representatives, 60 percent with the Senate and 56 percent with the Supreme Court. Only the US Federal Reserve did comparatively well with an approval rating of 53 percent.

Positive signals from contested states

The online survey ran from March 22nd to 24th. On November 5th, in addition to the President, a third of the Senate and the entire House of Representatives will be elected. According to other surveys, Biden is currently effectively tied with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Things have also recently looked good for Biden in several so-called battleground states, which are likely to be decisive for the outcome of the election. According to a survey by Bloomberg News and Morning Consult, Biden is currently one point ahead of Trump in Wisconsin, after being four points behind last month. In Pennsylvania, Trump was recently ahead by six points. Now both competitors are on par, the same applies to Michigan.

In the election on November 5th, everything points to a duel between Biden and Trump. Both are hoping for a second term in the White House. The Republican Trump also has to deal with several legal proceedings during the election campaign. In the end, it is expected that a comparatively small number of previously undecided voters in the battleground states could make the difference.

jok/Reuters