HuffPost : "Obama Approval Rating Hits 60 Percent: Poll", - And more than half of Americans now say he deserves to be re-elected, - The Associated Press-GfK Poll was conducted May 5-9

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Huffington Post
Obama Approval Rating Hits 60 Percent: Poll
By LIZ SIDOTI and JENNIFER AGIESTA
May 11, 2011

Obama Approval Rating Hits 60 Percent: Poll

Some excerpts :

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's approval rating has hit its highest point in two years – 60 percent – and more than half of Americans now say he deserves to be re-elected, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll taken after U.S. forces killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

In worrisome signs for Republicans, the president's standing improved not just on foreign policy but also on the economy, and independents – a key voting bloc in the November 2012 presidential election – caused the overall uptick in support by sliding back to Obama after fleeing for much of the past two years.

Comfortable majorities of the public now call Obama a strong leader who will keep America safe. Nearly three-fourths – 73 percent – also now say they are confident that Obama can effectively handle terrorist threats. And he improved his standing on Afghanistan, Iraq and the United States' relationships with other countries.

Despite a sluggish recovery from the Great Recession, 52 percent of Americans now approve of Obama's stewardship of the economy, giving him his best rating on that issue since the early days of his presidency; 52 percent also now like how he's handling the nation's stubbornly high 9 percent unemployment.


The economy remains Americans' top issue.

Impressions of the nation's economic health have improved following last Friday's positive jobs report, which showed American companies are on a hiring spree. More people now say the economy got better in the past month and that it's likely to continue doing so in the coming year.

Also, more Americans – 45 percent, up from 35 percent in March – say the country is headed in the right direction. Still, about half – 52 percent – say it's on the wrong track, meaning Obama still has work to do to convince a restive public to stay with the status quo.
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In another finding, 53 percent in the latest poll say Obama deserves to be re-elected, while 43 percent say he should be fired, the first time in an AP-GfK poll that more people say he should get a second term than not.
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Nearly two-thirds of Americans who call themselves political independents now approve of him; only about half did in March. They were critical to his 2008 victory but many had fled as his administration increased government spending and passed a sweeping health care overhaul. They could just as easily turn away again between now and next fall.
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Among the poll's other findings:

_ Sixty-nine percent say Obama will keep America safe, up from 61 percent in March; 65 percent call him a "strong leader," up from 57 percent.

_ Sixty-three percent say Obama cares about people like them; 63 percent also say that he understands the problems of ordinary Americans.

_ Sixty-three percent view Obama favorably, up from 59 percent in March.

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