Obama rating holds up

President Barack Ob, ama’s job performance rating is holding steady at 49% in the most recent Zogby Interactive survey, and nearly half of likely voters say recent US  election results shouldn’t be used to draw conclusions about the President’s popularity or what may happen in the 2010 election.  John Zogby will be in Belfast next month to deliver the DIVA lecture at the University of Ulster.

Forty-seven percent of likely voters say the Nov. 3 election is largely about local and statewide affairs, and people should not try to draw conclusions about the 2010 elections and President Obama’s popularity from the results. But nearly as many (41%) believe that if one party did particularly well, it will be an important indicator about how the 2010 elections will turn out and will serve as a guide to the voters’ perception of President Obama’s first year in office. The vast majority of Republicans (72%) believe last week’s election may foreshadow the results in 2010, while most Democrats (77%) don’t think conclusions can be drawn from the results. The Zogby Interactive survey of 2,293 likely voters nationwide found 49% approving of Obama’s job performance, 51% disapproving and <1% undecided.

The survey was conducted Nov. 4-6, 2009, and carries a margin of error of +/- 2.1 percentage points. Pollster John Zogby: “Inside this poll are warning signs for the President – especially that his numbers are not what they need to be among his base including First GlobalsTM, African Americans, and Democrats. Given his drop among independents, who our polling finds include many conservatives, the President has little slack to give from his base.” This interactive survey, conducted by Zogby International, has a sample size of 2,293 likely voters nationwide. A sampling of Zogby International’s online panel, which is representative of the adult population of the US, was invited to participate. Slight weights were added region, party, age, race, religion, gender, education to more accurately reflect the population. The margin of error is +/- 2.1 percentage points. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups.