Obama’s Approval Rating Low, Possibly His Lowest

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Obama’s approval ratings are low this month, with as little as 38 percent of Americans saying they approve of his job performance, according to Time. His approval rating has steadily declined over the last few months, with his popularity taking an especially large hit because of issues with his healthcare bill, the Affordable Care Act.

Now, some polls have found that Obama’s approval rating has hit an all-time low, while others seem to show that the low rating is finally picking back up.

Different Polls, Different Findings: Quinnipiac University Results

The independent Quinnipiac University National Poll results released Tuesday show that a record low percentage of Americans approve of Obama’s performance. The poll shows that only 38 percent of people approve of the president’s work, while a whopping 57 percent disapprove. This was based on a nationwide survey of 2,692 registered voters between Dec. 3 and Dec. 9.

The negative ratings are consistent even among voters Obama was initially popular with. His approval rating was only 41 percent among voters aged 18 to 29, and a slightly better 50 percent among Hispanic voters.

The president remains predictably unpopular among some demographics. Just 6 percent of Republicans, 30 percent of independent voters and 29 percent of white voters approve of him. Contrastingly, 76 percent of Democrats and 85 percent of black voters still give Obama the thumbs up. He’s also more popular with women than with men, who give approval ratings of 44 and 31 percent, respectively.

Voters in the poll also said they feel Obama is not honest and trustworthy and is not a strong leader. They dislike how he’s handling the economy, health care and foreign policy, but they do approve of how he’s handling terrorism.

Obama’s overall approval rating of 38 percent this month is just 1 percentage point lower than last month’s 39 percent. The change is more drastic for those saying they disapprove. Last month, 54 percent said they disapproved, compared to this month’s 57 percent. That means that more people were indifferent to Obama’s job performance last month.

Different Polls, Different Findings: Pew Results

The national poll from the Pew Research Center and USA Today tells a different story. This poll, conducted Dec. 3 through Dec. 8 among 2,001 adults, found that Obama’s approval rating actually increased significantly since last month.

Pew found that Obama hit an all-time low last month with an approval rating of 41 percent and a disapproval rating of 53 percent, but that he’s regained some popularity to reach an approval rating of 45 percent. This is roughly equivalent to his approval rating in September, before the launch of the Affordable Care Act and the government shutdown. This signifies that he may have recovered from the initial damage done by those two events.

Still, voters in this poll agree that Obama is not trustworthy and not able to get things done. They also disapprove of his health care law and his handling of the economy.

Different Polls, Different Findings: New York Times Results

Yet another poll gives more findings. The poll conducted by the New York Times and CBS News reports approval ratings somewhere between those found by Quinnipiac and Pew. The New York Times reports that 42 percent of voters said they approve of Obama’s job performance, while exactly 50 percent disapprove.

Like Pew’s results, these findings show a big improvement from last month, when just 37 percent approved and 57 percent disapproved. The Times suggests that the latest approval uptick marks Obama’s rebound from the issues with his health care law.

This poll was smaller than the other two and surveyed just 1,000 adults between Dec. 5 and Dec. 8.

What They All Have In Common

While the exact approval/disapproval ratings vary from poll to poll, none of them are looking good for Obama. It would be significant if Obama’s approval rating definitively increased or decreased, as it would give a much clearer idea of what’s ahead.

For now, we know that most Americans still don’t approve of Obama’s work in office, and that the Affordable Care Act and its website are still on people’s minds.