Obama Approval Rating Slips, Government Trust Low In New Poll
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's re-election glow is gone. Congress' reputation remains dismal. And only about one in five Americans say they trust the government to do what's right most of the time, an Associated Press-GfK poll finds.
Most adults disapprove of Obama's handling of the federal deficit, a festering national problem. But they also dislike key proposals to reduce deficit spending, including a slower growth in Social Security benefits and changes to Medicare.
Rounding out the portrait of a nation in a funk, the share of people saying the United States is heading in the wrong direction is at its highest since last August: 56 percent.
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Just 7 percent of Americans say they trust the government in Washington to do what is right "just about always," the AP-GfK poll found. Fourteen percent say they trust it "most" of the time. Two-thirds trust the federal government only some of the time; 11 percent say they never do.
Obama's overall job approval rating is at its lowest point since his re-election: 50 percent, with 47 percent disapproving. His approval rating among Republicans – 10 percent – is back to where it was before the election. Among independents, disapproval has crept up to 49 percent.
With more and more components of the 2010 "Obamacare" health law taking effect, 41 percent of Americans approve of the president's handling of health care. That's the lowest level during his time in office.
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Ratings of the president's handling of the economy, meanwhile, are back in negative territory, with 52 percent disapproving and 46 percent approving. In last September's run-up to the election, 49 percent said they approved, and 48 percent disapproved.
In the new poll, disapproval among independents on handling the economy is up 10 percentage points since September 2012. It now stands at 57 percent.
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Obama's budget proposals are winning few kudos. Fifty-six percent of Americans disapprove of the way he is handling the federal deficit, while 39 percent approve. Those levels have changed little in the past 15 months.
Public support has dropped, however, for proposals recently floated by Obama and others to slow the growth of benefits in the popular but costly Social Security and Medicare programs.
Opposition to raising the Medicare eligibility age has grown over the last few months in AP-GfK polling. Shortly after the fall election, 48 percent opposed such a plan, while 40 percent supported it. Opposition has grown by 11 points since then, with 59 percent now saying they dislike the idea.
Support among Democrats fell from 41 percent last fall to just 27 percent now, with 60 percent opposed.
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