Biden's ratings among Democrats have remained fairly steady, but the number of Republicans who regard him favorably fell from 33 percent at its peak to 18 percent now, and the number of independents with a positive view has fallen from a high of 55 percent to 32 percent.

Gallup says that Biden is significantly less popular than President Obama, who has a 63 percent favorability rating. Dick Cheney measured 65 percent to George Bush's 69 percent in their first year in office, and Al Gore measured 55 percent to Bill Clinton's 57 percent in their first year.