Democrats still back Biden, but evidence of unease among moderates - CBS News poll analysis

Democrats still overwhelmingly approve of President Biden's overall job performance, but approval among members of his own party has slipped some over the year of his term — from a high of 94% at the beginning in February to 81% today. The decline is most pronounced among the more moderate members of the Democratic Party as opposed to liberals. Many moderates are questioning Biden's priorities and effectiveness, more so than his ideology.

Our most recent CBS News poll indicates not just a decline in Mr. Biden's overall approval rating, but also a softening of support among those who still approve of him. At his six month point in July, the percentage of Democrats who said they strongly approved of Mr. Biden outnumbered the percentage who only approved somewhat by nearly two to one. Now, just as many Democrats say they approve only somewhat, while the percentage who strongly approve has dropped twenty-one points. Another one in five Democrats disapprove.

In his press conference on Wednesday, Mr. Biden burnished his own credentials as a centrist and resisted the implication that he had tacked the party too far to the left. Democrats overall seem satisfied with where the president stands ideologically: most think he is "about as liberal as they would like." And though 64% of Democrats who call themselves very liberal would like Biden to be more so, most in this group nevertheless say they approve of how he's handling his job as president.