A new sheaf of opinion polls shows Americans sharply divided on President Barack Obama's first year in office, as his ratings on key issues like health care and the economy hit new lows. Polling also suggests independent voters are turning away from Obama as he nears the anniversary of his January 20 inauguration - though in a sign of hope for his administration, he remains more popular than his policies.
In a new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, US voters were split 45-45 on whether Obama's first year was a success or failure. When voters were asked in a CNN/Opinion Research survey published Tuesday to rate Obama's performance during a crisis-marred first year in the Oval Office, 48 percent judged it a failure, and 47 percent saw a success.
A CBS News poll showed Obama's job approval rating at 46 percent, marking the first time he had polled below 50 percent in the survey. The CNN poll meanwhile showed Obama's approval rating at 51 percent - but that was down three points in a month.
Quinnipiac had Obama's job approval/disapproval split at 45 percent for the first time. In the Quinnipiac poll, there was a narrow margin among respondents, 35-37 percent on whether the United States would have been better off had Obama's Republican opponent John McCain won last year's election.
Just 36 percent of Americans approve of Obama's handling of health care, down from 42 percent in December and 47 percent in October, CBS said. In the CNN survey, 40 percent of those polled backed Obama's handling of health care and 59 percent disapproved. In October 42 percent approved, and as far back as last March 57 percent of those polled endorsed his approach. A new Gallup poll, however, found that support among Americans for health care legislation had risen slightly since November.
Forty-nine percent of Americans now want their member of Congress to vote for such legislation, compared to 46 percent who want a no vote, the poll found. Obama also faces challenging ground on the economy. Forty-four percent of those asked by CNN approved of Obama's stewardship of the economy, with unemployment at 10 percent and a credit squeeze still tight - a new low for that survey.
CBS News found 41 percent backed Obama's economic management, another new low. Quinnipiac found only 41 percent backed his handling of the economy, 34 percent approved of his efforts to create jobs and 35 percent approved of Obama's handling of health care.