A new opinion poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos showed that US President Joe Biden's popularity is close to its lowest levels during his presidency this month, a sign of the challenges ahead for his re-election bid as President of the United States next year.

The three-day poll, which ended on Sunday, showed that 40 percent of participants approved of Biden's performance as president, a marginal increase from 39 percent in November. The poll's margin of error was about three percentage points.

In November 2024, Biden is widely expected to face former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination. Other recent polls indicated the possibility of a close race between the two.

The poll showed that Americans consider the economy, crime, and immigration the biggest problems facing the country, and they are all issues that Trump and other Republicans have criticized Biden for. 19 percent of respondents ranked the economy as the top issue, while 11 percent cited immigration and 10 percent cited crime.

Biden's overall approval rating has stabilized at less than 50 percent since August 2021, and this month's rating remains close to the lowest level of his presidency of 36 percent in mid-2022.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll collected online responses from 1,017 adults using a nationally representative sample.

(Reuters)