Nearly half of independent voters say Biden's age ‘severely’ limits ability to be president

Nearly half of independent voters in a new poll say President Biden’s health and age “severely” limits his ability to be president, as he runs for reelection to the White House in 2024.

A The Economist-YouGov poll, released Wednesday, found that overall 45 percent of U.S. adults think Biden’s health and age “severely limit his ability to do the job.” 

Just 11 percent think his age and health have “no effect at all” on his job performance, and 34 percent think those factors have “little effect.” Another 10 percent aren’t sure.

The answers vary starkly between the two major parties, with 77 percent of Republicans thinking Biden’s age and health severely limit his ability to perform his duties, compared to just 13 percent of Democrats. Forty-eight percent of independents surveyed said the same.

Biden, who is already the oldest president to sit in the Oval Office, has long weathered worries about his age — and a recent fall at the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony has renewed criticism as he runs for another four years in the White House.

Fifty percent of adults in the poll said they think Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) age severely limits her ability to fulfill her Senate duties. At 89, Feinstein recently returned to the Senate after weeks away from Capitol Hill as she battled complications from shingles, prompting concerns and calls to step down.

Just over a quarter of those surveyed said the same of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Eighteen percent said the same of Sen. Chuck Grassley (D-Iowa). 

Conducted June 3-6, the poll surveyed 1500 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.