President Obama experiences worst overall performance rating since taking office, survey shows

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) – President Barack Obama is experiencing his worst job ratings since taking office with 61 percent of Americans giving him negative remarks, according to The Harris Poll, which was released on Friday.

Only 39 percent of Americans gave Obama a positive rating on the overall job he is doing. The President has been dealing with employment and economic concerns since taking office, but as this year’s fourth of July celebrations approach, Obama is juggling a number of current issues, such as the change of military leaders in Afghanistan with General McChrystal’s recent resignation, the economic summit in Canada, and the ongoing oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, which has continued for around two months.

Furthermore, only one-third of Americans (34%) believe the country is heading in the right direction while 66% say it is going off on the wrong track. This is down from last month when 36% said the country was heading in the right direction and 64% believed it was off on the right track.

To make things worse, the President seems to be losing ground. According to the survey, three of every ten Democrats and Liberals are giving him negative ratings for his overall performance. Meanwhile, nearly all Republicans (92%) and Conservatives (86%) have continued to give him negative ratings. And in addition, almost 70 percent and 60 percent of Independents and Moderates, respectively, are also not satisfied with Obama’s work.

Interesting enough, the level of education among Americans affects their perspective regarding Obama’s presidential performance. The Harris Poll shows that the higher one’s education is, the more likely they are to think President Obama is doing a good job.

Just three in ten of those with a high school degree or less (31%) give the president positive ratings compared to 47% of college graduates and over half of those with a post-graduate education.

Only 30 percent of Americans agree on the government’s most important issues: which is the economy and employment. With the new but controversial health reform bill being signed into law, only one-quarter (23%) says health care should still be addressed. Further, one in five Americans (20%) say the oil spill in the Gulf needs to be addressed.

Current affairs, natural disasters, and global issues may not be in the President’s favor, but one way or another, Obama’s duty is to face these circumstances and any other that brings concern to the nation.

With congressional elections in just a few months, an angry electorate and dwindling support among his own partisans, the Obama administration is forced to make this summer a good one. But if support and ratings continue to fall, a new party might be looking to take advantage to take charge of Congress in January.

The Harris Poll was conducted by Harris Interactive and surveyed 2,227 adults online between June 14 and 21.

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