Fewer people than ever approve of President Obama’s handling of the Islamic State terrorism threat.
A new CNN/ORC poll says that just 32 percent of people polled approve of how he’s handling the situation, down 8 points from the last poll in February. Most of that reflects a shift toward disapproval — 63 percent don’t approve of Obama’s efforts on the Islamic State, up 6 points.
Obama’s polling on Islamic State contributed to an overall drop in the president’s approval rating. When asked how Obama is handling all aspects of his job, just 45 percent said they approved and 52 said they disapproved.
Those numbers were more evenly split only months ago, when 48 percent approved and 47 percent disapproved in April.
On every major issue facing the government, Obama’s disapproval numbers were bigger than his approval numbers. On the economy, 46 percent approved of his performance, and 53 percent disapproved. Obama’s numbers were lowest on issues like immigration and government surveillance; just 36 and 29 percent approved of his performance, respectively, on those issues.
Even on issues like climate and healthcare, Obama’s approval numbers were in the low to mid-40s.
Those polled were also worried about the direction the country is heading. Forty-seven percent said things in the U.S. are going well, compared to 52 percent who say they’re going badly. That’s a big reversal from March, when 53 percent things were going well, the highest numbers of Obama’s presidency.
The negativity does cut across part lines. Only 34 percent of those disliking Obama’s handling of the Islamic State are Democrats, the poll found.
The random telephone poll of roughly 1,000 American adults was conducted May 29-31 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
