Obama’s Approval Rating Rising At Just The Right Time
By Ashley Christianson on February 9, 2011, 1:09 pm
Obama has made efforts of late to work with congressional Republicans, such as on the deal to extend the Bush-era income tax cuts. These efforts may have helped fuel a rise in his approval ratings, from 44% in mid-November to 50% in the most recent weekly average. But the rise in Obama's public support has not necessarily meant a reduction in the polarization of views about him, as there continues to be a nearly 70-point gap between Democratic and Republican approval ratings of the president.
Most Polarized Rating
Though Obama’s first- and second-year ratings rank among the most polarized of all presidential years, Bush had three years with a larger gap in party ratings. In Bush’s fourth year in office — the year he was re-elected — there was an average 76-point gap in approval ratings of him between Republicans and Democrats.
Most Stick With Their Party
Though Americans have always been more approving of presidents from the party they support than of presidents from the party they oppose, the partisan gap in presidential ratings has expanded. As Gallup pointed out last year, none of the presidents prior to Reagan averaged more than a 40-point gap in approval ratings by party. But from Reagan through Obama, all except George H.W. Bush have averaged more than a 50-point divide in party ratings.
Above 50%
A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey released Wednesday night showed Obama’s job-approval rating at 53%, an eight-point jump from mid-December and his highest rating since July 2009. Surveys from CNN/Opinion Research and ABC News/Washington Post also put Obama’s approval rating above the 50% threshold.
Benefiting From Improved Climate
Obama also may be benefiting from an improved political climate after a hyper-partisan midterm campaign in which he was an active participant. “The last six weeks have been the best six weeks the president has had in his first two years in office,” NBC/WSJ co-pollster Peter Hart told the network. Americans are still pessimistic about the course of the nation, but less so than recent months. According to the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 35% say the nation is headed in the right direction, while 56% say it’s on the wrong track. It’s the best finding on that question since October 2009.