Obama popularity falling

Fort SmithOutside The Wire

by The City Wire staff ([email protected]) August 24, 2009 9:09 am 55 views 

The Harris Poll reported Monday (Aug. 24) that President Obama’s job numbers continue to fall, with 51% of Americans approving of his actions and 49% not approving.

In the previous poll, 54% approved of Obama’s job performance and 46% disapproved.

Poll results are from a survey of 2,498 U.S. adults surveyed between Aug. 10 and Aug. 18.

“President Obama has had a blistering summer that does not have much to do with the normal heat and humidity in Washington, D.C. He has had to deal with not just Republican opposition on health care reform, but also some disagreements within his own party,” noted the Harris statement. “And, while the news on the economy has been slowly getting better, this still has not hit Americans’ wallets. Like so many other polling organizations, the Harris Poll is seeing President Obama at the lowest approval ratings of this still young presidency.”

OTHER SURVEY RESULTS
• Democrats give President Obama an overwhelmingly positive job rating in comparison to Republicans (81% vs. 13%). Among Independents, however, more give him negative ratings (53%) than positive (47%).

• There is a reverse gender gap emerging. Normally with a Democratic president, women are more likely than men to give higher approval ratings. Right now, this isn’t the case as over half of men (53%) give President Obama positive marks while over half of women (52%) give him negative ratings.

• Three in five Easterners (61%) and 55% of Westerners give President Obama positive ratings. Majorities of Southerners (57%) and Midwesterners (53%) give him negative ratings.

• Majorities of Echo Boomers (those 18-32) and Baby Boomers (those 45-63) give President Obama positive ratings (53% and 55% respectively). Majorities of Gen Xers (those 33-44) and Matures (those 64 and older) give him negative marks (54% and 57% respectively).

• Attitudes on the direction of the country continue to drift upward. This month, 46% believe it is going in the right direction and 54% say it is going off on the wrong track. In June, 43% said it was going in the right direction, while 57% said it was going off on the wrong track.