Obama Hits All-Time Low in CNN Poll

A CNN poll released Thursday finds President Obama’s favorability has hit an all-time low. The joint CNN/ORC poll found Obama at 41 percent approval. His 56 percent disapproval marks an all-time high.

This is just the most recent poll to find President Obama hitting an all time low. Previous polls by CBS, ABC, NBC and Quinippiac have all found a similar drop into the low forties since the release of the President’s health reform exchange October 1st. The rollout of the exchange has been widely considered a disaster.

CNN Polling Director Keating Holland says the drop “comes entirely among suburbanites.” The poll finds Obama’s support at 39 percent in the suburbs but still at 51 percent in urban areas.

Both sexes disapprove of the job the President is doing though there is a slight gender gap in the results. Just 39 percent of men approve of the job the President is doing but the number is 43 percent among women. There is a slightly larger gap in terms of disapproval with 60 percent of men disapproving compared to 53 percent of women. This means Obama is underwater by 21 points among men but only 10 points with women.

Politically, the Presidents support remains strong among Democrats at 78 percent but Independents have largely abandoned him with 63 percent of them disapproving compared to 32 percent approving.

The CNN poll asked two additional question. First, who do you think “will have more influence of the direction the nation takes in the next year”? Just 42 percent of respondents said President Obama while 50 percent said Republicans.

The other question was a variation of the first, who do you “WANT to have more influence of the direction the nation takes in the next year”? Here respondents were more evenly split with 47 percent saying President Obama and 45 percent saying Republicans.

However this results is disappointing for the President compared to the three previous years when it was asked. In all three cases (twice in 2011 and once in 2012) the President got 50 or 51 percent on this question. The President’s advantage was 9 points last year but is down to two points now.

The poll was conducted Monday through Wednesday of this week and has a 3.5 point margin of error.