Politics
Reuters/Ipsos poll: Obama’s approval rating up to 50 percent
U.S. President Barack Obama. PHOTO/Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
Most Americans don’t actually blame the President for the high gas prices, at least so far. Sixty-six percent of the 1,002 adults surveyed say that “the oil companies and Middle East nations who are taking advantage of tensions with Iran to make more money” are most responsible for higher gas prices.
For the first time since early July, more Americans approve of the job President Barack Obama is doing than disapprove, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll that shows his approval rating now at 50 percent.
The poll, taken March 8-11 on the heels of reports that 227,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy in February, indicates that Obama’s rating has risen by 2 percentage points during the past month. The percentage of Americans who disapprove of the Democratic president was 48 percent, down from 49 percent in February.
Some other polls have shown a recent dip in Obama’s approval rating, and linked that to rising gasoline prices.
But for most Americans, other economic trends during the past month have been relatively positive. Obama appears to be benefiting from that, and perhaps from a bitter Republican presidential campaign that at times has focused on divisive social issues such as abortion.
