(12/22/11) -

Obama Improves Again, As Views on Congress Plummet in the U.S.

The American president shows momentum, as four-in-five Americans express dissatisfaction with their federal lawmakers.

Barack Obama has improved his standing among the American population for the second month in a row, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,024 American adults, 45 per cent of respondents (+2 since November) approve of Obama’s performance as president, while 49 per cent (-4) disapprove.

The incumbent president gets his best marks in the Midwest (51%) and his lowest rating in the West (41%).

In November, strong disapproval of the president outranked strong approval by a 3-to-1 margin. This month, it is practically 2-to-1 (32% to 15%).

The approval rating for the U.S. Congress matched the all-time low observed in August and September (12%, -4). Four-in-five Americans (80%, =) voice dissatisfaction with their federal lawmakers.

Only three per cent of respondents strongly approve of their federal lawmakers, while a large majority (56%) strongly disapprove.

This month, the worst rating for Congress is in the Midwest (8%) and the best in the Northeast (15%).

Analysis

While Obama managed to improve his numbers as the year draws to a close, he is definitely not connecting well with Independents. Most respondents in this key component of the American electorate (55%) disapprove of the president’s actions.

The dismal approval rating for Congress matches the numbers observed earlier this year following Standard & Poor’s downgrade of the country’s AAA credit rating for the first time. Independents are particularly critical, with no respondent expressing strong approval for Congress, and just six per cent saying they moderately approve of its actions.

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 December 21 to December 22, 2011, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,024 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.