Obama enters second term with 51 percent approval
By Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Anthony Salvanto, Fred Backus and Brian Montopoli
President Obama's approval rating stands at 51 percent as he prepares to be sworn in for a second term, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll. Forty-one percent of Americans say they disapprove of the overall job he is doing as president.
Mr. Obama's approval rating is down six points compared to December, shortly after his reelection, and is lower than the 62 percent approval rating he received shortly after taking office in 2009. His approval rating is slightly higher than where it stood at this point last year, when 47 percent approved of his performance and 45 percent disapproved.
Mr. Obama's approval rating hit its first-term high of 68 percent in April 2009, roughly 100 days after he first took office. His lowest rating came in March 2012, as Americans grappled with increased gas prices. His job rating hovered around 50 percent throughout 2010 and 2011, though it spiked to 57 percent in May 2011, after the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Heading into his second term, in January 2005, President George W. Bush had an approval rating of 49 percent. President Bill Clinton entered his second term with a 60 percent approval rating; President Ronald Reagan entered his second term with an approval rating of 62 percent.
Mr. Obama's approval rating is lower when it comes to specific issues. Just 37 percent approve of his handling of the budget deficit, while 54 percent disapprove. Forty-nine percent approve of his performance of foreign policy, 46 percent approve of his handling of the economy, and 45 percent approve of his handling of taxes.
Additional results from the poll, which was conducted from January 11-15, will be released later in the day.
This poll was conducted by telephone from January 11-15, 2013 among 1,110 adults nationwide.
Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups may be higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.