Politics

Obama’s approval rating hits record low in Quinnipiac poll

Alexis Levinson Political Reporter
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President Barack Obama’s job approval rating has hit an all time low according to a recent Quinnipiac poll, which found that while the president himself is fairly well liked, his policies are not.

According to a poll released Thursday, just 42 percent of registered voters approve of the job Obama is doing as president, while 52 percent say they disapprove. That’s a sharp slide for the president: In mid-July when Quinnipiac last polled voters on the question, 47 percent approved and 46 percent disapproved.

Moreover, 80 percent of registered voters are very to somewhat dissatisfied with the way things are going in the nation today, with a majority — 51 percent — calling themselves very dissatisfied.

This is not because the public doesn’t like Obama as a person. Sixty-nine percent say they like him, and just 16 percent say they do not. But a 53 percent majority, regardless, dislikes his policies.

A major problem for the president is that 62 percent of registered voters disapprove of the way he is handling the economy. And 61 percent describe the state of the U.S. economy as poor right now, and 49 percent believe it is getting worse.

Voters don’t necessarily have more faith in Republicans in Congress to handle the economy: Forty-one percent say Congress would do a better job while 44 percent say Obama would do a better job. However, some of Obama’s potential challengers for the presidency give him a run for his money.

Mitt Romney is perceived by voters as someone who would do a better job on the economy than Obama, with 46 percent saying so, compared to 42 percent who say Obama would do a better job. That does not necessarily mean that Romney could beat Obama in a general election: Voters were asked the question “regardless of how you intend to vote,” and many voters do not vote entirely based on the economy.

A Quinnipiac poll released yesterday found that Obama and Romney would tie in a head-to-head match up, with each receiving 45 percent of the vote. (RELATED: Obama’s disapproval rating hits an all time high)

Obama and Perry virtually tie in how voters feel they would handle the economy, with 43 percent saying Obama would do a better job, and 41 percent saying Perry would.

Though voters may fault Obama for failing to fix the economy, most do not blame him for the current economic climate. Fifty-three percent blame the current condition of the economy on former President George W. Bush, while just 32 percent blame it on Obama.

Quinnipiac interviewed 2,730 registered voters nationwide by telephone between August 16 and August 27. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.