NYT/CBS News poll: Obama Approval Rating Shows Serious Slip in New Poll [View all]

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Obama Approval Rating Shows Serious Slip in New Poll

By JIM RUTENBERG and MARJORIE CONNELLY
Published: March 12, 2012

At a time of rising gas prices, heightened talk of war with Iran and setbacks in Afghanistan, Mr. Obama’s approval rating dropped substantially in recent weeks, the poll found, with 41 percent of respondents expressing approval of the job he is doing and 47 percent saying they disapprove — a dangerous position for any incumbent seeking re-election.

The poll provides a statistical reminder of how unsettled and unpredictable this year’s political landscape remains. Just one month ago, Mr. Obama reached a critical benchmark by winning approval from 50 percent of Times/CBS News poll respondents, his re-election prospects lifting along with confidence that the nation was finally emerging from the aftermath of the Great Recession.

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In a hypothetical matchup against his most likely Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, Mr. Obama had a 47 percent to 44 percent advantage, a statistical dead heat given the poll’s margin of sampling error of 3 percentage points. Against Rick Santorum, the president held a slight advantage, winning 48 percent to 44 percent. In both cases, Mr. Obama’s lead was down slightly from last month.

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Mr. Obama appears to be retaining much of his gains among important demographic groups, erasing inroads that Republicans made in 2010, especially among women. But his falling approval rating in the last month extended to his handling of both the economy and foreign policy, the poll found. And his weakening position cut across all major demographic groups, even among those with which he has kept an edge over his Republican challengers: women, independents, moderates, college graduates and younger voters.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/us/politics/obama-approval-rating-down-in-new-york-times-cbs-poll.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

So gas prices caused a nine- point drop from last month? I did notice that the disapproval went up four point, but the "don't know" went up five points.

Still, that's not the main reason I'm find this poll suspect. It seems the sample might be more conservative than in the past: only 40 percent believe employers insurance plans should cover birth control? (This is opposite of WaPo, which found more than 60 percent support.)

Another, Americans want war with Iran?



http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57395830-503544/poll-most-support-u.s-military-action-to-stop-iran-from-getting-nuclear-weapons/

More charts from CBS:



http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57395703-503544/poll-obamas-approval-rating-sinks-to-new-low/



http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57395717-503544/poll-romney-santorum-narrow-gap-on-obama/