Since taking office over 60 days ago, Joe Biden has received praise and criticism from both sides of the aisle for his job as President of the United States. Students at the University of West Florida had the opportunity to share their opinions regarding the Biden administration in a short survey. Students of all political backgrounds participated in this survey. 

Of the 10 UWF students who participated in the survey, 80% of them partially approve of the Biden administration. Further, 10% of students completely approve of the Biden administration, and 10% completely disapprove of the Biden administration. Many also believe that President Biden has fallen short of his campaign promises. 

“He did not keep his promise about stimulus checks, both in the amount that they would consist of and the speed at which they would be sent out,” said one UWF student. “Even so, I think that he is doing an okay job so far. It’s extremely rare that a president ever keeps their election promises once in office.”

Another student spoke out about this. 

“He fell short of many of his election promises, and in many ways is ending up like President Trump but less controversial,” said one UWF student. “I am incredibly disappointed.”

Of the students surveyed, 60% said that they voted for Biden in the 2020 presidential election. 50% of students also said that they will likely vote for Biden again in 2024. 

“I like that I don’t have to constantly worry about what Biden is going to do,” said one UWF student. “With Trump, I worried a lot about something drastic happening. He was extremely unpredictable.”

Even so, President Biden’s approval rating among UWF students is relatively unimpressive. 50% of the students who participated in the survey would rate his presidency a 5 out of 10. 

“I’m not sure how I feel about him yet,” said one UWF student. “I’m cautiously optimistic, but I don’t have high hopes.” 

20% of the students who participated in the survey rated the Biden presidency between a 0 and 2 on a 0-10 scale. A few students shared their criticisms. 

“I dislike practically everything about the current administration,” said Christopher Lewis, an International Relations major. “The over-emphasis of identity politics rather than objective qualification, the erratic foreign policy decisions related to China and Iran, and the weaponization and lack of informational consistency regarding the coronavirus, just to name a few. The record number of children in cages at the border is highly upsetting, as is the seeming lack of competence from the elusive president himself, as well as the highly evasive press secretary.”

Another student expressed their criticism. 

“He bombed the Middle East, which is basically a rite of passage for all U.S. presidents at this point,” said one UWF student. “And why did he stop the pipeline? That isn’t going to stop the drilling. The supply chain will continue to frack oil and transport gas, but now we will have thousands of more trucks on the highway transporting gas instead of efficient, low-cost pipelines.”

Several students brought attention to the Trump administration when talking about President Biden. Some feel that the new presidency is a fresh start.

“I think Biden is more in control of what he says, I mean so far he hasn’t insulted any other world leaders on Twitter,” said Jake Kovach, a Communications major. “It’s nice to have an adult in office, and it’s nice to not hear his name 24/7 from the media.”

Another student contrasted the two administrations. 

“I like the return to a sense of normalcy on the global stage and the reintroduction to the Paris Climate Accords,” said one UWF student. “I approve overall, although we are not very far into the term. I believe a lot of people were expecting quicker action in certain areas with a majority in Congress, such as removal of the filibuster.”

Overall, most UWF students are relatively indifferent about the new presidency. Regardless of who is in the White House, day-to-day life at UWF and in the Pensacola area will hardly be affected. 

“I hate elections, politics, and presidents,” said one UWF student. “I say vote local and pay attention to smaller elections first. Research and figure out which vote is best for the community.”