March 24, 2012 7:59 AM
President Obama
With 7-1/2 months to go before the general election, the public’s grade for the job President Obama has done so far is lower than that of four previous Presidents, and above three, at this point in their first term.The President’s current job approval rating in Gallup is 46% approval and 47% disapproval. The following is the list of 8.
| Approve | Disapprove | |
| Eisenhower | 72 | 18 |
| Nixon | 56 | 32 |
| Reagan | 54 | 39 |
| Clinton | 52 | 39 |
| Obama | 46 | 47 (3/12-18) |
| Carter | 43 | 45 |
| G Bush (I) | 41 | 47 |
The following are several additional cuts at the President's job approval rating over the last seven months. There is a consistency among these major media surveys.
| NBC/WSJ | NYT/CBS | WP/ABC | CNN/ORC | |
| March 2012 | 50/45% | 41/47% | 46/50% | --- |
| February 2012 | --- | 50/43% | 50/46% | 50/48% |
| January 2012 | 48/46% | 45/47% (CBS) | 48/48% | 47/51% |
| December 2011 | 46/48% | 44/46% (CBS) | 49/47% | 49/48% |
| November 2011 | 44/51% | --- | 44/53% | 44/54% |
| October 2011 | 44/51% | 46/46% | 42/54% | 54/52% |
| August 2011 | 44/51% | 48/47% | 42/54% | 45/52% |
There is currently a strong correlation between Americans’ economic confidence, as described above, and President Obama’s general job approval. If economic confidence continues to grow so will the President’s job approval rating. (Note: This correlation does not always play out.) [Gallup]
And here is how Obama is rated on a number of other issues.
| Approve | Disapprove | |
| The Economy | 38% | 59% |
| Federal Budget Deficit | 32% | 63% |
| Gas Prices | 26% | 65% |
| Energy Policy | 38% | 48% |
| Situation in Afghanistan | 46% | 47% |
| Possibility of Iran Getting Nuclear Weapons | 36% | 52% |
| [WP/ABC 3/12] | ||
Currently, 49% of us have positive feelings toward the President, and 37% have negative feelings. This measurement is roughly the same as it was a year ago, 50% to 36%, and two years ago, 50% to 38%. [NBC/WSJ 3/12]
There are at least three issues, in addition to jobs and the economy, which plague the President’s re-election efforts: gasoline prices, birth control, and the new healthcare law.
55% say the government has at least quite a bit of control over gas prices. [NBC/WSJ 3/12]. 54% believe the President can do a lot about the price of gasoline. [CBS/NYT 3/12] It is worth noting that Frank Newport of Gallup and Susan Page of USA Today say that, so far, gas prices are not hurting Obama’s job approval rating.
In the most recent WP/ABC survey [3/12], while 50% believe that the President can do something about gas prices, as noted above, 65% disapprove of the job he is doing to reduce prices.
All adults, by 48%-45% ( men: 49% to 44%, women: 47% to 46%), are more supportive of religious leaders than they are of the Obama Administration relative to requirements that even religious organizations provide contraception coverage for their employees. [Gallup]
By 47% to 44%, Americans would favor a potential Republican President doing what is necessary to repeal the healthcare law passed with the leadership of President Obama. [Gallup]
