President Biden's State of the Union address last week did little to change public perception of his presidency, according to a Yahoo News/YouGov survey conducted in the days following the speech. The survey of 1,482 U.S. adults showed no improvement in perceptions of the president or his standing against former President Donald Trump.

Prior to the address, Trump and Biden were statistically tied in a head-to-head matchup for the 2024 election. The latest poll shows that the two continue to be neck and neck, with Trump at 46% and Biden at 44%. The narrow gap falls well within the poll's margin of error of 2.8%.

Before the speech, 40% of Americans approved of Biden's job as president, while 56% disapproved. The numbers have only shifted slightly, with 39% approving and 55% disapproving after the address. Despite concerns about his age and ability to handle the job, Biden's energetic display did not sway voters in his favor on the age issue.

Interestingly, 17% of Americans who watched the State of the Union or followed news about it said Biden seemed "not as old" as they expected. However, a majority of respondents, 51%, felt he seemed "about the same" as expected, and 24% believed he seemed "older" than anticipated.

The survey also revealed that a third of Americans felt the speech made Biden seem more fit to be president, while a slightly larger number, 35%, said it made him seem less fit. The majority, 28%, stated that the State of the Union did not change their opinion of Biden's fitness.

The positive reviews of Biden's speech mostly came from Democrats, while Republicans were critical. The polarization in U.S. politics is evident, as Biden's supporters grow among Democrats, but doubts about his strength as a candidate persist. Support for Biden as the Democratic nominee for the 2024 election fell from 62% to 56% in the latest poll, while support for someone else rose to 35%.

Among Democrats, 65% believe Biden has the best chance of winning the general election in November. However, this percentage has decreased from 76% in January, and more Democrats now express uncertainty about his chances.

Despite these numbers, only 26% of Democrats want Biden to drop out of the 2024 race and ask the party to nominate someone else for president. Another 11% suggest he should consider stepping aside if he struggles in the weeks before the Democratic convention in August.

The Yahoo News/YouGov survey reveals that a majority of Americans, 61%, either watched or followed news coverage of Biden's State of the Union address. Of this audience, reactions were divided, with equal numbers approving and disapproving of the speech's content and Biden's statements about Trump. Agreement with Biden's stance on specific issues, such as inflation, immigration, the economy, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, closely matched his corresponding issue approval ratings.

However, on the topic of abortion, those who watched or followed the speech were more likely to agree with Biden's stance than disagree.

It appears that President Biden's State of the Union address failed to make a significant impact on public opinion. With polarization in politics and concerns about his age persisting, Biden will likely need more than a single speech to shake things up and win over skeptics.