Poll: Obama dips on ‘honest,’ ‘strong’
President Barack Obama’s image in the eyes of the American public has taken a hit this fall, with the number of those who call him a “strong and decisive leader” and “honest and trustworthy” dropping to low points in a new poll.
Less than half of the public, 47 percent, see Obama as a “strong and decisive leader” in a Gallup poll out Wednesday, down 6 points from the same poll in September and the first time in Obama’s presidency the number has been below 50 percent. Fifty-one percent of those surveyed said the label doesn’t apply.
Similarly, the number of people who consider Obama “honest and trustworthy” dropped 5 points since September, to 50 percent, another new low.
( Earlier on POLITICO: President Obama’s approval rating at 41 percent)
Only 42 percent of people said they thought Obama could manage government effectively, another 5-point drop.
Overall, 43 percent of Americans approved of the job Obama was doing, with his approval on key issues of health care, the economy and foreign policy in the high 30s.
Gallup surveyed 1,039 adults from Nov. 7 to Nov. 10 for the poll, which has an error margin of plus of minus 4 percentage points.