Each month, presidential pollster, Harris Poll Chairman and Stagwell Global Chairman & CEO MARK PENNandBOB CUSACK,  Editor in Chief of The Hilldiscuss the findings of the latest Harvard CAPS / Harris poll. This month's survey of 1,990 registered voters was conducted between March 23-24, 2022. (Link to the full poll is here).
 
Despite a slight uptick in optimism for the direction of the country and economy, Biden’s approval rating remains at 39%. A little more than half of voters have doubts about his mental fitness and ability to handle difficult international situations, while 6 in 10 deem him too old for office.
 
GOP support heading into the midterm election is now strong. In the Congressional horserace, Republicans edge out Democrats 53 to 47, winning two thirds of the Independent vote, and leading among suburbanites, men, women, middled-aged, and older voters.
 
Inflation and soaring prices (32%), the economy and unemployment (27%), and immigration (21%) have taken as the top issues among voters, while concern over COVID is quickly falling in priority. Three out of four voters say they have been affected by inflation directly at the grocery line and the gas pump. 8 out of 10 voters expect inflation to stay high or get worse, and public opinion is split on whether the Fed should be toggling interest rates in this economic climate or whether that would result in worse outcomes.
 
Blame for the uptick in oil prices is placed on Biden (64%) and Putin (72%). In this environment, two thirds of voters want Biden to relax climate change policies and loosen regulations on domestic drilling of oil and gas. Today, more than three fourths of voters support restarting the Keystone pipeline to alleviate costs.
 
Voters resoundingly want more action taken by US & NATO leadership when it comes to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Seven out of ten voters want more punishing economic sanctions; 76% want the U.S. and NATO to send missile defense systems; and 71% would send military aircraft to Ukraine. 57% support a no-fly zone despite the risks of directly engaging with Russia’s military; however, voters are split on boots on the ground, with just less than half supporting this action. Today an overwhelming majority of American voters (86%) believe Russia’s actions to be war crimes punishable by the international court of justice, with equal numbers believing Putin is directly responsible for these war crimes.
 
Sanctioning Russia through private business interruption remains very popular, as an overwhelming majority (three-fourths) want American companies, big tech and even fast-food companies to suspend operations in the Kremlin.
 
Public opinion on some of the other topics in the news offers interesting insights into the voice of American voters. 57% of voters support the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. A large majority of voters oppose sexuality being discussed at the elementary school level, and around two thirds of voters oppose transitioning athletes competing in opposite sex sports events.