Following the killing of Osama bin Laden, President Obama’s approval rating received an expected bump. Yet while his overall approval rating ticked up, his marks when it comes to the economy actually fell at the same time, dropping to a record-low in the latest NBC survey released this week.
That finding underscores the old political maxim that, “it’s the economy, stupid,” as it shows that Obama’s overall presidency is still weighed down by the sluggish economy even while enjoying a major national security success.
In the poll, 52% of Americans said they approved of Obama’s job performance, compared to 41% who disapproved. That’s an improvement from last month when 49% of respondents gave Obama good marks on his job performance, compared to 45% who gave him negative marks.
However, the poll also found that only 37% of Americans now aprove of Obama’s handling of the economy, the lowest level ever recorded by NBC, and an eight-point drop from one month ago. Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they disapproved of Obama’s economic stewardship in the latest poll, also a record.
That furthers a downward trend that dates back to roughly the start of the year. After last year’s midterm elections, Americans steadily began feeling better about Obama’s economic management. But come 2011, that quickly reversed, and Obama’s approval rating on the issue has generally declined since then.
The current TPM Poll Average shows that 57% of Americans give Obama a negative score on the economy, versus 38.2% who say the opposite.
Check the trend lines:
Other polls have also shown a spike in Obama’s approval rating following the death of Osama bin Laden. Buoyed by the recent polls, the TPM Poll Average now shows the president’s approval rating has rebounded into positive territory. According to the average, 48.6% of Americans approve of Obama’s job performance, compared to 45.6% who disapprove.
The NBC poll was conducted May 5-7 among 800 adults nationwide. It has a margin of error of 3.46%.
