A majority says Biden's first year was a failure, a new poll finds

Rising inflation, a continuing pandemic, a foreign policy misstep in Afghanistan and Democratic infighting all marred President Biden's first year, and now a majority of respondents to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll say his first year was a "failure."

In all, 56% said Biden's first year in office was a failure, versus just 39% who said it was a success.

What's more, 54% said he's not fulfilling his campaign promises, and 52% said he has done more to divide the country than unite it, despite uniting the country being a pillar of Biden's 2020 presidential run.

The president is clinging to just a 39% overall approval rating, a 36% approval for his handling of the economy and 47% for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Just 30% of respondents said they think the U.S. is headed in the right direction, days before Biden is set to give his first formal State of the Union address.

All are the worst marks of his presidency in the survey.

"These are sort of rock-bottom numbers," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, which conducted the poll. "It's about as low as you're going to see him [Biden]."

Inflation rises as a top concern

Topping Americans' concerns in the survey is inflation, as 38% said they think it should be Biden's top priority.

That far outpaces other issues, including the pandemic — which just 11% said they think should be his top priority — voting laws (11%), foreign policy (10%) and violent crime (10%).

The rise in foreign policy as an issue comes as the Ukraine crisis is front and center. Again, here, it's bad news for Biden: Just 34% approve of how he's handling the situation, while 50% disapprove. The poll was conducted before Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

The pressing pocketbook concerns of Americans could spell more trouble for Biden if the Ukraine crisis deepens and it means additional pain at the pump.

"I know this is hard and that Americans are already hurting," Biden said Thursday, after Russia's invasion. "I will do everything in my power to limit the pain the American people are feeling at the gas pump. This is critical to me. But this aggression cannot go unanswered. If it did, the consequences for America would be much worse."

Optimism about the end of the pandemic

Seven in 10 respondents said they feel generally optimistic that the end of the pandemic is nearing. And while that optimism is potentially good news for Biden and the country, the president likely won't benefit politically until inflation and prices come down.