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Obama Maintains Good Rating in U.S.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Public support for U.S. president Barack Obama remains high, according to a review of eight recent public opinion polls. In surveys by Opinion Research Corporation and CBS News, 66 per cent of respondents approve of Obama’s performance.
In studies conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media, the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, Princeton Survey Research Associates International and RT Strategies, at least three-in-five respondents approve of Obama’s performance.
The U.S. president does not reach the 60 per cent mark in polls by Opinion Dynamics and Marist College.
In American elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. In November 2008, Democratic nominee Obama secured a majority of electoral votes, defeating Republican candidate John McCain. On Jan. 20, Obama became the first African American president in U.S. history.
On Apr. 21, Obama discussed his views on the Middle East conflict, saying, "I am a strong supporter of a two-state solution. I have articulated that publically and I will articulate that privately. And I think that there are a lot of Israelis who also believe in a two-state solution. Unfortunately, right now what we’ve seen not just in Israel but within the Palestinian Territories, among the Arab states, worldwide, is a profound cynicism about the possibility of any progress being made whatsoever."
Polling Data
a) Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president?
|
Apr. 5 |
Mar. 15 |
Feb. 19 |
|
|
Approve |
66% |
64% |
67% |
|
Disapprove |
30% |
34% |
29% |
|
Unsure |
3% |
3% |
4% |
Source: Opinion Research Corporation / CNN
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,019 American adults, conducted from Apr. 3 to Apr. 5, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
b) Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president?
|
Apr. 5 |
Mar. 16 |
Feb. 22 |
|
|
Approve |
66% |
62% |
63% |
|
Disapprove |
24% |
24% |
22% |
|
Unsure |
10% |
14% |
15% |
Source: CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 998 American adults, conducted from Apr. 1 to Apr. 5, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
c) Overall, please tell me whether you approve, disapprove, or neither approve nor disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president?
|
Apr. 20 |
Feb. 17 |
|
|
Approve |
64% |
67% |
|
Disapprove |
30% |
24% |
|
Neither |
2% |
4% |
|
Unsure |
3% |
5% |
Source: GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media / Associated Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted from Apr. 16 to Apr. 20, 2009. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
d) Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president?
|
Apr. 21 |
Apr. 6 |
Mar. 12 |
|
|
Approve |
63% |
61% |
59% |
|
Disapprove |
26% |
26% |
26% |
|
Unsure |
11% |
13% |
15% |
Source: Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,507 American adults, conducted from Apr. 14 to Apr. 21, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
e) Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president?
|
Apr. 2 |
Mar. 5 |
|
|
Approve |
61% |
58% |
|
Disapprove |
27% |
26% |
|
Unsure |
12% |
16% |
Source: Princeton Survey Research Associates International / Newsweek
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,003 American adults, conducted on Apr. 1 and Apr. 2, 2009. Margin of error is 3.5 per cent.
f) Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the job Barack Obama is doing as president?
|
Apr. 11 |
Mar. 1 |
|
|
Approve |
60% |
57% |
|
Disapprove |
30% |
28% |
|
Neither / Mixed |
6% |
8% |
|
Unsure |
4% |
7% |
Source: RT Strategies / Cook Political Report
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 833 American registered voters, conducted from Apr. 8 to Apr. 11, 2009. Margin of error is 3.5 per cent.
g) Do you approve or disapprove of the job Barack Obama is doing as president?
|
|
Apr. 1 |
Mar. 4 |
Feb. 18 |
|
Approve |
58% |
63% |
60% |
|
Disapprove |
32% |
26% |
26% |
|
Unsure |
9% |
11% |
14% |
Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 American registered voters, conducted on Mar. 31 and Apr. 1, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
h) Do you approve or disapprove of the job Barack Obama is doing as president?
|
Approve |
56% |
|
Disapprove |
30% |
|
Unsure |
14% |
Source: Marist College
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 928 registered American voters, conducted from Apr. 1 to Apr. 3, 2009. Margin of error is 3.5 per cent.