Obama's approval ratings 'remain steady' despite several setbacks: Poll

Washington, Dec 17 (ANI): Despite facing a setback during the mid-term polls, US President Barack Obama's approval and public opinion remains steady, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll.

According to the New York Daily News, Obama's job approval rating is at 45 percent, which is the lowest of his presidency, but only a three point drop since early January.

The poll also found that his approval rating has been fluctuating between 45 percent and 50 percent for the past seven months, which according to some analysts is remarkable, especially after dealing with critical issues like unemployment, two unpopular wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the recent setback of his Democratic party in the mid-term elections.

The WSJ/NBC poll, which polled 1,000 adults, also found 63 percent saying that the country is headed in the wrong direction, while only 32 percent believe that the economy will improve in the next 12 months.

According to the pollsters, the good news for the President is that a majority of Americans do not want to be judgemental about whether or not Obama will have a successful presidency.

"People want a successful presidency. Things are so bad, they don't think we can afford to have an unsuccessful presidency," the paper quoted pollster Bill McInturff, as saying.

Obama remains most popular among Democrats, who gave him a 76 percent approval rating. However, he remains unpopular with both Republicans and Independents, with just 11 percent of GOP and 35 percent of Independent voters approving the job he is doing.

As far as the 2012 Presidential election is concerned, 47 percent said they favoured the President, against 40 percent who favoured potential Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Against former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, 55 percent said they would vote for Obama, compared to 33 percent for Palin, the poll said.

Surprisingly, 72 percent of respondents said they like Obama on a personal level, a percentage well above those of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan at the same point in their presidencies, it added. (ANI)