NBC News Poll: 51% Obama Job Approval

August 18th, 2009
NBC News Poll: 51% Obama Job Approval
Posted by Kyle Trygstad | Email This | Permalink | Email Author
A new NBC News poll finds President Obama's job approval at 51%, down 2 points from an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released last month.

The survey was taken Aug. 15-17 of 805 adults with a +/- 3.5% margin of error.

On health care, the top issue of the month and likely the year, just 41% approve of his handling it and 47% disapprove.

Just more than one-third (36%) believe Obama's efforts to reform the health care system is a bad idea and a quarter (24%) think it's a good idea.

Still, 60% think the system needs either a "complete overhaul" or "major reform."

Also, 43% are in favor of a public option while 47% oppose it. Respondents were split over whether the protests of health care townhalls this month have done more harm or more good.

More from NBC's Mark Murray:

A plurality believes Obama's health plan would worsen the quality of health care, a result that is virtually unchanged from last month's NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. What's more, only four in 10 approve of the president's handling of the issue, which also is unchanged from July.

See the details of the poll here: (pretty amazing for an NBC (in the tank for Obama) poll.

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/MSNBC/Secti ... J_Poll.pdf