In deciding who should take the lead in directing the country, Americans are divided.
Forty percent of Americans think President Obama should have influence over the direction the nation takes in the next year, but 43 percent also feel the same about Republicans in Congress.
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Though the numbers are fairly even between the two, they tell a different story when compared to just after the midterm elections, according to a new Gallup poll.
After Republicans gained control of Congress in November, 53 percent of Americans wanted them to influence the nation’s direction, compared with 36 percent pushing for Obama, a 17-point spread.
Now, the spread is just 10 points, mostly as a result of Republicans losing support rather than Obama gaining it.
The lowest support Obama has ever had was 36 percent in November, though he still has more backing now than his predecessor, President George W. Bush, had at the same time.
By his seventh year in office, only 32 percent wanted Bush to decide the direction of the country, compared to 63 percent wanting Democrats, who had recently won the congressional majority.
The random telephone poll of 804 adults was conducted Jan. 5-8, with a margin of error of plus or minus four points.
