The latest ABC News / Washington Post poll contains some good news for the president ahead of what is likely to be a difficult reelection year. President Obama’s favorability ratings are up to a 10 month high and he handily defeats both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich in head-to-head matchups.
Obama’s job approval rating is up to 50 percent – the first time the president has broken the critical 50 percent threshold since May of last year when a Washington Post / Pew poll showed the president at 56 percent approval. Similarly, the president’s disapproval rating is down to 46 percent – the lowest recorded disapproval rating for the president since August of 2011.
On individual issues, the president gets slightly lower marks. Obama is underwater in his approval on issues relating to the economy, creating jobs and the federal budget deficit. Only on the issue of taxes does Obama get a neutral 47 percent approval/disapproval rating. Nevertheless, these numbers represent an improvement on past polls – President Obama has been in the low 40s/high 30s for his handling of the economy – these represent the highest approval ratings for Obama’s record on the economy since January 16, 2011.
A majority of voters, 50 percent, say that Obama deserves reelection to 48 percent who say he does not.
When measured against his Republican challengers, Obama defeats Mitt Romney with 51 percent to 45 percent among registered voters. Obama defeats Newt Gingrich 52 to 43 percent among registered voters.
This poll’s sample of 1,000 adults (with a registered voter filter on some questions) is not especially informative though. Nowhere in the poll is the demographic breakdown of the sample (men, women, registered Republicans, registered Democrats, etc.). Therefore, we cannot measure this poll against exit polls from 2004 (average election year turnout) or 2008 (heavily Democratic turnout) to determine whether this polls is an accurate sample of the electorate.
For Obama supporters, this poll is good news – unfortunately, for the president’s opponents, the omission of this sample data gives the poll’s skeptics reason to be cynical.
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