(01/23/12) -

President Obama Stable, Congress Barely Improves in United States

The American head of state is dividing views in the country, while four-in-five respondents remain dissatisfied with their federal lawmakers.

Public support for Barack Obama did not go through a significant fluctuation in the first month of the year, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,003 American adults, 46 per cent of respondents (+1 since December) approve of Obama’s performance as president, while 49 per cent (=) disapprove.

The incumbent head of state garners his best rating in the Northeast (48%) and his lowest marks in the West (42%).

Once again, strong disapproval of the president outranks strong approval by a 2-to-1 margin (33% to 15%).

The approval rating for the U.S. Congress recovered slightly from the all-time low observed three times last year and now stands at 15 per cent (+3). However, four-in-five Americans (79%, -1) continue to express dissatisfaction with their federal lawmakers.

Only two per cent of respondents strongly approve of the House of Representatives and the Senate, while practically half (48%) strongly disapprove.

This month, the worst rating for Congress is in the Northeast (12%) and the best in the Midwest (17%).

Analysis

At the start of the year that will define whether he gets a second term at the White House, Barack Obama maintains better numbers than the ones he posted in the late summer and early fall of 2011, when only two-in-five Americans were satisfied with his performance. Still, there seems to be a disconnect with Independent voters, where Obama’s rating falls for 41 per cent, and his disapproval rating climbs to 54 per cent.

Congress has gained three points, but the level of disapproval for federal lawmakers remains amazingly consistent since August, with practically four-in-five Americans saying they are disappointed with the House and the Senate.

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 January 18 to January 19, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,003 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.