LANSING, Mich. – Michigan voters believe the State and the Nation remain seriously off track accordingly to a recent MRG-commissioned Michigan Poll®. The survey, conducted October 11-13, shows that 72% believe the country is on the wrong track compared to only 16% who believe the country is headed in the right direction. These numbers are more polarizing than the Spring 2022 Michigan Poll® which showed 68% believing the country was on the wrong track compared to 20% who believed otherwise. Michigan’s outlook remains consistently dismal as well with 56% of voters believing Michigan is on the wrong track compared to the 33% who believe otherwise. These numbers are slightly more polarizing than the Spring 2022 poll that showed 53% believing Michigan was on the wrong track compared to the 35% who believed Michigan was headed in the right direction. “Since President Biden took office, there has been a dramatic decline of voters who believe the country is on the right track,” said Jenell Leonard, owner of MRG, LLC. “This sentiment could have a significant impact on the midterms and affect Democrats up and down the ballot.” Support of Biden Remains Low The gap increases when it comes to President Biden’s job approvals which show only 37% of voters approving of Biden’s job performance with 54% disapproving. These numbers are in comparison to the Spring Michigan Poll® which showed 40% approving of his job performance with 52% disapproving. The president’s personal approval ratings remain statistically the same with 34% sharing a positive feeling toward the president and 51% having a negative feeling toward him. The Spring 2022 poll showed 33% with a positive feeling toward President Biden compared to 51% who shared a negative feeling. The only area of the state giving the president a positive job approval rating was Oakland County by one percentage point (47% approve and 46% disapprove). His highest negative ratings came from voters in Northern Lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula where over 75% of voters disapprove of the job the president is doing. “The president’s job approval rating is at its lowest during his term in office,” said Tom Shields, MRG’s Senior Advisor. “The president struggles to gain the confidence of voters on some of the most pressing issues that are needed to get our state and country back on the right track.” Statewide elected sentiment Governor Whitmer’s job approval remains stagnant with 51% approving of her job performance and 41% disapproving. These numbers are also statistically the same from the Spring Michigan Poll® which showed the governor with a 50% job approval compared to the 41% who disapproved. More voters have a positive personal feeling toward the governor with 44% sharing a positive feeling compared to the 41% who share a negative feeling. The Spring 2022 Michigan Poll® showed the governor’s personal ratings evenly split at 41%. The Governor received over 50% approval ratings in the Detroit area, West Michigan, and the Mid-Michigan area. Her highest negative ratings come from the tri-cities area and northern Michigan. "The governor has continued to separate herself from Joe Biden's abysmal approval ratings and the voter’s beliefs that the state is heading in the wrong direction," said Leonard. “This lends an advantage to the governor but also a big opportunity for Republicans to focus in on the top issues leading into the final few weeks of the election.” Statewide elected sentiment Governor Whitmer’s job approval remains stagnant with 51% approving of her job performance and 41% disapproving. These numbers are also statistically the same from the Spring Michigan Poll® which showed the governor with a 50% job approval compared to the 41% who disapproved. More voters have a positive personal feeling toward the governor with 44% sharing a positive feeling compared to the 41% who share a negative feeling. The Spring 2022 Michigan Poll® showed the governor’s personal ratings evenly split at 41%. The Governor received over 50% approval ratings in the Detroit area, West Michigan, and the Mid-Michigan area. Her highest negative ratings come from the tri-cities area and northern Michigan. "The governor has continued to separate herself from Joe Biden's abysmal approval ratings and the voter’s beliefs that the state is heading in the wrong direction," said Leonard. “This lends an advantage to the governor but also a big opportunity for Republicans to focus in on the top issues leading into the final few weeks of the election.” Top Issues High prices and inflation took first place at 35% in the list of top issues, with abortion coming in a close second at 33%. Rounding out the top three issues ranks the economy and jobs at 29%. “Economic issues are still driving this election,” said Shields. “The abortion issue is being driven by those who are pro-choice and pro-life. The opportunity for candidates is how to convince voters that they are in a better position to relieve the pressure of the prices and get the economy back on track.”