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President Joe Biden responds to a reporter's question after signing executive orders in the State Dining Room of the White House, Jan. 21, 2021, in Washington. © Alex Brandon / AP Photo
Policy and Public Interest

International Relations Experts Approve of Biden’s First 100 Days


Opinions split over U.S. performance in global COVID-19 response, immigration

Published on May 24, 2021

Eighty percent of international relations (IR) scholars believe President Joe Biden performed well or very well on foreign policy during the first 100 days of his administration, according to a recent poll by the Teaching, Research, & International Policy (TRIP) Project at William & Mary’s Global Research Institute.

President Biden’s report card notes average to above-average grades for his performance on climate, alliances and international organizations, democracy and human rights, China and the Middle East. He secured high marks for his handling of Russian sanctions and the planned withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Still, nearly half of poll respondents disapproved of his initial approach to immigration.

Scholar opinions split, too, over the U.S. role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic internationally. At a glance, here are several average grades on the Biden report card:

  • Climate: B+
  • Alliances and international organizations: B+
  • Democracy and human rights: B
  • China: B
  • Middle East: B-

Key results:

  1. Eighty percent strongly approve of Biden’s commitment to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
  2. Over 45 percent of respondents somewhat disapprove or strongly disapprove of his handling of immigration during the first 100 days.
  3. Respondents split over the effectiveness of the U.S. role in coordinating the international response to COVID-19. About 56 percent find it not effective.
  4. Nine percent gave the administration’s Middle East policy an A; 10 percent gave an A for the president’s handling of China.

Teaching, Research, and International Policy (TRIP) Project Snap Polls survey all faculty members employed at U.S. universities in political science departments or policy schools who teach or conduct research on issues that cross international borders. Snap polls are conducted several times a year to provide real-time information on expert views of emerging foreign policy issues. This TRIP Snap Poll was open from April 28 to May 3, 2021, capturing the opinions of 812 professors. The survey was sent to 4,863 scholars.

This is the 15th survey in the TRIP Project’s Snap Poll series, made possible by the support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Past poll data are available online.

Newsroom Editor