Over half of female voters and three-fourth of African-Americans who participated in a recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll said they strongly disapprove of the way President Donald Trump is handling his job as president.
When combined with those who say they somewhat disapprove of Trump, that accounted for 57% of the women polled and 87% of blacks.
These results indicate that despite a strong economy and low unemployment, there are large segments of Georgia voters turned off by Trump’s rhetoric and policies as he runs for re-election to a second term.
“I’m sure he’s trying to do the best he can, but I’m not sure it’s the job we need done,” Natalie Steinborn, a retiree living in Bremen, said. “The whole country is very unsettled now for some reason; it’s a very volatile time.”
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>> PDF: Poll crosstabs
>> More: AJC poll archive
Appealing to black voters has become one of the pillars of Trump's re-election campaign. He unveiled an African-American outreach initiative during an event in Atlanta in November.
“What the hell do you have to lose?” the president said at the time.
Still, his support among black voters continues to lag.
Among poll respondents, 89% of African-Americans had an unfavorable impression of Trump compared to 27% of whites. Roughly 8% of black voters polled viewed the president favorably; among whites it was 70%.
The survey of 1,025 Georgia voters was conducted Jan. 6-15 by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
The disparities in Trump's approval among various demographic groups was also evident in previous AJC polls.
However, this survey incorporated a change in methodology to ensure it more closely reflects Georgia’s population, particularly when it comes to the level of education of respondents. That makes it more difficult to compare the most recent findings with previous ones.
The president's overall job approval was about 51% in this poll, and he enjoys greater support among men and those who identify as white. Trump's approval also improves in higher age ranges and income brackets, although there is a fall off at the highest wage level.
Voters with college degrees also disapproved of Trump’s job performance at higher rates.
There was a similar pattern when voters asked whether they viewed the president favorably or unfavorably. The president did better among those who were older, wealthier (to a point), or had less formal education.
Gloria Cooper, a Southwest Atlanta resident, said she doesn’t expect Trump’s supporters to change their minds about him even as he faces an impeachment trial and possible removal from office on charges he abused his power in office.
“They are going to love him to the end and support everything he does right or wrong,” she said.
