Fox News poll: Obama's approval hits new low

By Dana Blanton

 

President Obama’s job approval rating hits a record low this week, as a majority of Americans say his administration has mostly failed at growing the economy, creating jobs, improving health care and the country’s image.
That’s according to a Fox News poll released Wednesday.

For the first time in a Fox News poll, fewer than four voters in ten -- 38 percent -- approve of President Obama’s job performance. Fifty-four percent disapprove. Before now Obama’s worst job rating was 40-55 percent in November 2013. Last month 42 percent approved and 53 percent disapproved (February 2014).
CLICK HERE TO READ THE POLL RESULTS
Approval of Obama among Democrats stands at 71 percent, near its 69 percent record low (September 2013). For independents, 28 percent approve, which is also near the 25 percent all-time low among this group (July 2013). And approval of Obama among Republicans hits a new low of five percent.
Overall, a 59-percent majority thinks the White House has mostly failed at creating jobs, up from 52 percent who said the same in October 2012. Likewise, 56 percent feel it has failed on growing the economy. That’s also up from 52 percent.
The greatest erosion is on improving America’s image around the world -- something Obama vowed to do once in office. In 2012, by a four percentage-point margin, voters felt the administration had failed to improve the country’s image. In the new poll that’s now a 26-point margin: 33 percent say mostly succeeded and 59 percent mostly failed.
Obama also promised to have the most transparent administration in American history. Voters are again unconvinced: 59 percent believe Obama has mostly failed to run a transparent administration.
On health care, 36 percent say the administration has improved it, while 57 percent think it has failed to do so.
The best of the issues tested for the White House is homeland security: 41 percent think the administration has mostly succeeded at making the country safer. That’s down from 52 percent who felt that way in 2012. More -- 48 percent -- think the Obama administration has mostly failed in this respect.
Sixty percent or more of Democrats feel the Obama administration has mostly succeeded in each of these areas except transparency -- on that issue it falls to 47 percent.
Majorities of independents say the White House has mostly failed in every area tested, including 68 percent who feel that way on improving America’s image.
As the crisis in Ukraine escalated, the poll finds by a 33-56 percent margin, most voters disapprove of the president’s handling of foreign policy -- a new low for Obama on this issue. In December, 39 percent approved and 52 percent disapproved.
On health care, 36 percent of voters approve of the job Obama is doing, while 59 percent disapprove. He receives an almost identical 36-58 percent rating on the economy.
Meanwhile, just over half of voters continue to say it feels like the economy is getting worse: 51 percent feel that way, down from 55 percent who said the same in February 2013.
For 34 percent it feels like the economy is getting better, up from 31 percent last year.
Finally, the poll asks if things are better since Obama became president. Just 34 percent of voters think the country is better off compared to five years ago, while most -- 60 percent -- disagree. In September 2012, some 45 percent thought the country was better off compared to before Obama took office.
Fifty-seven percent of Democrats say the country is better off today, down from 81 percent who felt that way in 2012.
The Fox News poll is based on landline and cell phone interviews with 1,002 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from March 2 to March 4, 2014. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points for the total sample.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/03/05/fox-news-poll-obama-approval-hits-new-low-falls-in-key-areas/