Obama Improves, More See Bush Responsible for Economy
Raleigh, N.C. – After an unusually bad July in PPP’s national poll, President Barack
Obama has seen a lot of improvement on several fronts. His national approval rating has
rebounded, moving from 48-47 in June, to 45-52 last month, back to 47-48 now. For five
of the last eight months, Obama has been one point above or below breaking even; in
others, he was two points below and four points above.
PPP has asked voters’ approval of Obama’s health care plan for 12 months now, and with
46% approving and 48% disapproving, that is the highest level of approval and the
second best approval margin since the first month, September 2009, when it was 45-46.
This marks a huge shift since July (40-53).
In another improvement for Obama, 50% still say they prefer having Obama as president,
compared to 43% who would rather have George W. Bush back. In April, Obama won
only 48-46. While independents this year generally favor Republican candidates and
disapprove of Obama, they prefer Obama against Bush, 53-36, versus April’s 49-37.
When asked who they think is more responsible for the state of the economy, 49% picked
Bush, to 40% choosing Obama. Independents say Bush, 52-38. Fewer Republicans,
75%, pick Obama than Democrats pick Bush, 81%.
Of the last five presidents, 41% think Obama reminds them most of Bill Clinton, to 35%
who say Jimmy Carter, 6% Ronald Reagan, and the Bushes each at 2%. Democrats say
Clinton, 63-13. Republicans say Carter, 57-24, as do independents, 37-30.
“July could’ve been a blip on the radar. Obama’s more overt use of Bush in his stump
speech of late could resonate with voters, particularly with independents who don’t want
to return to past economic policies,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy
Polling.
PPP surveyed 606 American voters from August 6th to 9th. The survey’s margin of error
is +/-4.0%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce
additional error that is more difficult to quantify.
If you would like an interview regarding this release, please contact Dean Debnam at
publicpolicypolling.com |
