Biden is botching his response to the coronavirus and struggling to convince Americans they can trust him

Advertisement
Biden is botching his response to the coronavirus and struggling to convince Americans they can trust him
Former Vice President Joe Biden, check his watch during a commercial break as he participates in a Democratic presidential primary debate at CNN Studios, Sunday, March 15, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Associated Press

Advertisement

Former Vice President Joe Biden, check his watch during a commercial break as he participates in a Democratic presidential primary debate at CNN Studios, Sunday, March 15, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

  • Former Vice President Joe Biden is lagging behind a pair of Democratic governors and three of President Donald Trump's public health experts when it comes to trustworthiness on handling the coronavirus, according to a new Insider poll.
  • We asked respondents: "When it comes to the official advice regarding coronavirus, please rate how much you trust the following messengers on a scale on 1 to 5."
  • Biden's average came in at 2.69, which is in the "somewhat distrust" territory, coming short of a 3 for "neither trust nor distrust."
  • Back in late-March, Biden was at 2.76. Now, he's about even with Vice President Mike Pence at 2.67, and is not too far ahead of Trump at 2.48.
  • Only 28% of respondents said they trust Biden to handle the pandemic response.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Consistently billed as a steady hand who can unify the country, former Vice President Joe Biden gets low marks from Americans on how much he can be trusted to handle the defining issue of the moment.

Now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Biden is lagging behind Demorcratic Governors Gavin Newsom of California and Andrew Cuomo of New York in a new Insider poll on the coronavirus, and running about even with Vice President Mike Pence.

Biden, 77, has been confined to a home TV studio in Delaware, forcing him to toe the line between offering a contrast to Trump but not backseat driving as a candidate not holding political office for the first time in his near half-century career.

Advertisement

Insider asked poll respondents to rate Biden along with top Trump administration officials and governors on trustworthiness in handling COVID-19.

We asked respondents: "When it comes to the official advice regarding coronavirus, please rate how much you trust the following messengers on a scale on 1 to 5."

According to our poll, 1 means strongly distrust, 2 means somewhat distrust, 3 means neither trust nor distrust, 4 means somewhat trust, and 5 means strongly trust. Participants were asked to mark "NA" if they were unfamiliar with the person.

Biden came in at 2.69, down from 2.76 in late-March.

That's right about where Pence sits in the latest poll at 2.67 - well within the "somewhat distrust" territory and shy of "neither trust nor distrust."

Advertisement

Cuomo and Newsom, on the other hand, are atr 3.31 and 3.15, respectively.

Twenty-six percent of respondents said they "strongly distrust" Biden on the coronavirus, with 43% overall indicating they have some degree of distrust in what Biden says about the pandemic.

Conversely, only 28% overall said they trust what Biden says, with only 10% indicating they "strongly trust" the former VP.

SurveyMonkey Audience polls from a national sample balanced by census data of age and gender. Respondents are incentivized to complete surveys through charitable contributions. Generally speaking, digital polling tends to skew toward people with access to the internet. SurveyMonkey Audience doesn't try to weigh its sample based on race or income. A total of 1,109 respondents were collected on April 10-11 with a margin of error plus or minus 3 percentage points and a 95% confidence level.

Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email covidtips@businessinsider.com and tell us your story.

Advertisement

Get the latest coronavirus business & economic impact analysis from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is affecting industries.

NOW WATCH: We tested a machine that brews beer at the push of a button

{{}}