On the eve of his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump is preparing to lead a nation that supports key elements of his economic agenda but still harbors deep reservations about his character and temperament, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds.

Mr. Trump’s performance over the last month has hurt his standing, not helped it, as a growing share of Americans disapprove of how he has handled his transition to the White House. The Republican will take the oath of office as the least popular new president in at least a generation.

While most new presidents have enjoyed a spate of bipartisan goodwill as they begin a term in office, the poll finds that Mr. Trump is getting no honeymoon in today’s polarized political environment.

“The end of an election and especially the start of a new administration is typically a time for the nation to come together, at least temporarily,’’ said Fred Yang, a Democratic pollster who conducted the survey with Republican Bill McInturff. “Donald Trump inherits a nation that remains deeply divided within itself and with questions about whether the new president has the skills and temperament to lead us.”

Partisan differences underlie the poll’s broadest measure of approval of Mr. Trump. Some 48% of Americans said they view Mr. Trump in a negative light, and 38% in a favorable one. But among Republicans, just 10% view him negatively, while 85% of Democrats hold an unfavorable view.