Poll: Americans Disapprove of Obama & Congress

"As Washington has debated what to do about the debt ceiling, Americans have increasingly soured on the leaders of both parties. Two new national surveys out today show the job approval ratings of President Barack Obama and both the Democratic and Republican leaderships falling, as Americans express increasing anxiety about the economy and dissatisfaction with the direction of the nation.

The latest survey from the Pew Research Center shows President Barack Obama's job approval rating falling steadily from a high of 56 percent in early May to 44 percent in the most recent survey. Although a new ABC News/Washington Post survey shows Obama's approval rating steady at 47 percent over the same time period, the Pew Research Center trend matches a drop in Obama’s approval measured by most other national public opinion polls.

"The ratings of both Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress have also dropped, and the president’s numbers still outshine those of the Congressional leadership. According to the Pew poll, for example, the approval ratings of the Republican leaders in Congress has fallen from 36 to 25 percent since March (disapproval is 66 percent). Meanwhile, approval of the Democrats in Congress has fallen only slightly, from 33 percent to 30 percent since March (disapproval of the Democratic leaders is now 60 percent).

One culprit for the lower approval ratings is likely the increasing sense of economic pessimism and a dissatisfaction with country.

According to the new ABC/Post poll, 90 percent of Americans think the state of the economy is either "not so good" or "poor," while only 10 percent rate is as "excellent" or "good."

The Pew poll found that only 17 percent of Americans are satisfied with the direction of the country, down from 23 percent a month ago.
A new Gallup release finds the percentage of Americans saying economic conditions are getting worse in their daily tracking has risen from 62 percent to 73 percent since the beginning of July, while the percentage saying that current economic conditions are "poor" has risen from 43 percent to 51 percent."

The Pew poll also finds that confidence in the government as a whole is incredibly low. Only 6 percent of respondents said they had "a lot" of confidence in the government making progress on important issues facing the country over the next year, while 59 percent said they had "not much" or "no" confidence. Fifty-one percent of respondents said they did not think we will have made significant progress in reducing the federal budget deficit five years from now (39 percent thought we would)."