Obama's ratings inch up as economy improves: poll

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U.S. President Barack Obama addresses the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, February 7, 2011. REUTERS/Jim Young

U.S. President Barack Obama addresses the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, February 7, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Jim Young

WASHINGTON | Wed Feb 9, 2011 11:30am EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's approval ratings inched up again this month as Americans grew slightly more optimistic about the economy and the future, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday.

Obama's job approval rating rose to 51 percent from 50 percent in January, and his disapproval rating dipped to 46 percent from 47 percent -- well within the margin of error but continuing an upward trend since October's low of 43 percent.

The improvement for Obama, who is expected to officially open his 2012 re-election campaign in the next few months, came as the economy showed signs of improvement and memories faded of his fellow Democrats' election rout in November, when Republicans captured the U.S. House of Representatives.

The jobless rate dipped to 9 percent in January from 9.4 percent the month before, completing a 0.8 percentage point drop since November that was the biggest two-month decline since 1958.

"The stain of the midterm results is going away for Obama, and there are signs of economic recovery," Ipsos pollster Julia Clark said.

Americans are feeling more confident about the future as the economy improves, the poll found. The number saying the country is headed in the right direction grew to 38 percent from 36 percent the month before.

A majority of Americans, 57 percent, still believe the country is on the wrong track, down from 59 percent.

"The more positively people feel about the economy, the better they feel about Obama," Clark said. "Obama's task as he heads into the campaign is to keep the economy improving and see his approval ratings stay up above 50 percent."

The poll of 1,112 adults, including 844 registered voters, was taken on Friday through Monday and had a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. Interviews were conducted on both land lines and cell phones, in either English or Spanish.

(Editing by Vicki Allen)
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Comments (3)
fred5407 wrote:
As for me I think Mr Obama has been more interested in his ratings than the job he does. If he worked for me I would fire him for not getting the job done he was hired for. There is no time for re-election posturing, nor is there time for running around giving speeches for Democratic candidates.

Feb 09, 2011 4:00pm EST  --  Report as abuse
Sensibility wrote:
Now that funding is being withheld from the health care reform act, what exactly can President Obama hang his hat on as an accomplishment? Not much. The best thing for Obama’s approval rating would be if the Republican house forces a government shut down over the budget, similar to 1994.

Feb 09, 2011 4:54pm EST  --  Report as abuse
Alfred.Brock wrote:
The economy is not improving in Michigan.

Feb 10, 2011 7:11am EST  --  Report as abuse
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