CRACKS IN OBAMA FAÇADE AS DISAPPROVAL GROWS,
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY NATIONAL POLL FINDS

President Barack Obama’s first five months in office have seen his job approval remain stable overall – currently at a politically healthy 57 – 33 percent, but his disapproval has risen 8 – 10 points among several key demographic groups even as the national mood has improved somewhat in recent months, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today.

Approval among independent voters is 52 – 37 percent, compared to 57 – 30 percent in a June 4 survey by the independent Quinnipiac University. The survey of more than 3,000 voters also finds that voters feel 32 – 30 percent that things in the nation have gotten better since President Obama was inaugurated. Independent voters say 32 – 27 percent that things are worse, with 40 percent saying things are the same.

“Those who liked President Obama the most from the start – African-Americans, Democrats, women – still like him by the same margins, but a chunk of voters who were undecided have decided he’s not their cup of tea,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “Among independents, men, white Catholics, white evangelical Christians and Republicans, his numbers have fallen. He still has a ways to go before his coalition becomes politically unstable, but there are some groups and issues – especially the economy – where he needs to make sure this trend does not continue.”

Voters approve 54 - 26 percent of Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, with a similar demographic split when voters are asked about Obama himself. Her rating shows little change from the 55 – 25 percent approval in the June 4 poll, but approval among Hispanic voters has jumped from 58 percent to 78 percent.

“Republican complaints about Justice Sotomayor have made no dent in public opinion about her selection,” said Brown.

The U.S. economy is excellent, 1 percent of American voters say, as 7 percent say it’s good, with 44 percent saying not so good and 47 percent calling it poor. This compares to the first post- inaugural survey March 4, in which 3 percent rated the economy good, with 28 percent not so good and 68 percent poor.

A total of 39 percent of voters are somewhat or very satisfied with the way things are going in America, while 60 percent are somewhat or very dissatisfied. This compares to an April 1 survey in which 30 percent said they were very or somewhat satisfied, while 68 percent were somewhat or very dissatisfied.

“We are not talking about big movement here, but the changes have been counterintuitive in that the President has been losing some support, or more accurately alienating more voters, at the same time the country is feeling a bit better about itself and its prospects,” said Brown.

“The good news for President Obama is that he is running ahead of where he was on Election Day in November. The bad news is that prospects for building a bipartisan governing coalition appear to be ebbing.”

In the March 4 survey, after six weeks in office, Obama got a 59 percent job approval, not statistically different than the current 57 percent. But his 25 percent disapproval has grown to 33 percent in four months. Among independents, a key voting group, his approval rating has remained almost the same, but his disapproval has grown from 26 percent to 37 percent; among men from 29 percent to 38 percent and among whites from 29 percent to 39 percent.

“Two areas of potential concern for the White House are voters’ declining approval of Obama’s handling of the economy and lack of majority support for him on health care,” Brown said. “He still gets a positive 52 – 42 percent approval from the voters on his handling of the economy, but this is down from the 57 – 33 percent grade in March. This is the first time we asked about health care, so there is no comparison, but the current 46 – 42 percent approval is a warning sign that the White House has not yet completed the sale on that issue to the country.”

From June 23 – 29, Quinnipiac University surveyed 3,063 registered voters nationwide with a margin of error of +/- 1.8 percentage points.