(09/26/11) -

Low Ratings Continue for Obama and Congress in the United States

Despite several public appearances in the past few weeks, the American President is only supported by two-in-five respondents.

U.S. President Barack Obama maintains a particularly low approval rating just 14 months before he seeks a new term in office, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,020 American adults, 40 per cent of respondents (unchanged since August) approve of Obama’s performance as president, while 53 per cent (=) disapprove.

Obama does not reach the 50 per cent mark on approval in any of the country’s four main regions, getting his best numbers in the Northeast (43%). The level of strong approval for the U.S. President trails the level of strong disapproval by a 3-to-1 margin (11% to 34%).

The approval rating for the U.S. Congress is also stagnant, at 12 per cent (=). Almost four-in-five respondents (78%, -3) are currently dissatisfied with its performance.

The level of strong approval for federal lawmakers in the U.S. remains at two per cent, while practically half of Americans (47%, -5) strongly disapprove of its actions.

The worst rating for Congress is in the Midwest, where only seven per cent of respondents approve of its performance.

Analysis

The recent discussions about job creation have not had an immediate effect on Obama’s approval numbers, which are still the lowest of his administration. The American President appears to be connecting better in the Northwest, but is not near the 50 per cent mark in any region.

Congress faces an even tougher problem, being endorsed by just one-in-ten respondents in the West, and even fewer in the Midwest.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From September 20 to September 21, 2011, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,020 American adults who are Springboard America panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of the United States. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.