2010-08-19 10:25

US President Barack Obama sits next to US Sen. Patty Murray hosts a round table discussion with small business leaders at the Grand Central Bakery in Seattle, Washington, August 17, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

US president receives lowest marks ever for weak economy

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama earned his lowest marks ever on his handling of the economy in a new Associated Press-GfK poll, which also found that an overwhelming majority of Americans now describe America's financial outlook as poor.

A frustrated electorate could take it out on the party in power - Obama's Democrats - in the November congressional elections.

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Eleven weeks before the Nov 2 balloting, just 41 percent of those surveyed approve of the president's performance on the economy, down from 44 percent in April, while 56 percent disapprove. And 61 percent say the economy has gotten worse or stayed the same on Obama's watch.

Still, three-quarters also say it's unrealistic to expect noticeable economic improvements in the first 18 months of the president's term. And Obama's overall approval rating was unaffected; it remained at 49 percent, in part because most Americans still like him personally.

Democrats are keenly aware that they face strong headwinds; 60 percent of people say the country is headed in the wrong direction. And it's hard to overstate the importance of the economy to voters; 91 percent of Americans say it's a top problem, with unemployment close behind.

A whopping 81 percent of people now call the economy poor or very poor, up from 72 percent in June, and just 12 percent say it has improved in the past month, compared with 19 percent in June. Both are record measurements since AP-GfK started asking those questions.

People have little trust in Democrats or Republicans on handling the economy; less than half trust either. But voters older than 64 and whites lean heavily toward the Republicans.

While Congress' overall performance rating is at a miserable 24 percent, Democrats in Congress are slightly more popular than Republicans; 37 percent approve of Democrats while 30 percent approve of Republicans in Congress.

The AP-GfK Poll was conducted Aug 11-16 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications.

Associated Press