More Utahns like Biden's handling of COVID than his overall job performance

While only 44 percent of Utahns approve of the overall job that Joe Biden is doing as president, 52 percent approve of the way he is handling the coronavirus pandemic. Those are the findings of a new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll reported last week.

Among those who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus or will be as soon as possible, 68 percent approve of the president’s handling of the pandemic, the Deseret News reported. Among those who will never be vaccinated, only 9 percent approve. In the middle, people who have not been vaccinated but are not opposed to vaccination, 30 percent approve of the way Biden has handled the pandemic.

“The successful rollout of the vaccines in Utah has kept his approval ratings steady. This continued support shows he is hitting the mark for a majority of Utahns, including a significant number of Republicans. Consequently, there seems to be a direct correlation between willingness to get vaccinated and support for President Biden,” said Jason Perry, director of the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics.

In the poll, 98 percent of Democrats approve of how Pres. Biden is dealing with COVID-19, compared to 33 percent of Republicans.