Biden's approval rating lags at 40%

March 29 (UPI) -- A new Gallup poll found that President Joe Biden's approval rating sits at just 40%, as a majority of Americans disapprove of his handling on key issues.

Biden's approval continues to lag in the low 40s and hasn't exceeded 44% since August 2021. A majority of Americans disapprove of his handling of environmental issues, energy policy, foreign affairs and the economy.

Biden's approval is sharply divided on partisan lines, with 87% of Democrats approving of the job he is doing, while just 3% of Republicans said that they approved.

"Democrats are slightly more likely to express approval of Biden's handling of the environment and foreign affairs than of the economy and energy policy," Gallup said. "Republicans are nearly unanimous in their disapproval of Biden's handling of each of the four issues, with no more than 9% approving."

Biden's approval rating among independents has fallen to 35%, after being as high as 61% at the beginning of his presidency. Only 26% of independents approved of his job on the economy.

"Low approval of Biden on the economy from both Democrats and independents explains his particularly poor performance on that issue relative to his overall job score," Gallup said.

Biden's drop in ratings on environmental issues come as his administration recently approved ConocoPhillips' Willow oil project on the North Slope of Alaska, which could yield as much as 614 million barrels of oil over the next three decades