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 CBS News/New York Times PollFor release: February 14, 20126:30 PM ET
 
Some Good Economic News; the President and the November Election
February 8-13, 2012
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Some good news from the stock market and jobs front has the public feeling slightlymore optimistic about the economic outlook – 34% say it is improving, up from 28% lastmonth. Still, three-fourths see the overall economy as bad.
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President Obama gets some credit – his handling of the economy is up slightly, to 44%from 40% last month. His overall approval rating is 50% - the highest it has been sincethe killing of Osama bin Laden.
 
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The President now leads each of the Republican candidates in November electionmatchups. Independents support Barack Obama as well.
 
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The public sides with the Administration on federally-mandated contraception coveragefor religiously-affiliated employers: 61% support the rule, 31% are opposed. MostCatholics also support the federal mandate at about the same rate as all Americans.
 The Economy
More Americans now say the economy is improving: 34% say so, up from 28% who thought soa month ago. And while more than four in ten see it stuck in place, the percentage that says it isimproving is the highest it has been in nearly two years.
Direction of the Economy
Now 1/2012 12/2011 11/2011 2/2011 4/2010Getting better 34% 28% 24% 18% 32% 41%Getting worse 22 23 30 32 22 15The same 43 49 45 50 45 43Three in four Americans say the economy is in bad shape, and just 23% say it is good – but thepercentage that says it is good has also been slowly climbing since late last fall, and is now atits highest level since last March.
Condition of the Economy
Now 1/2012 12/2011 11/2011 10/2011 3/2011Good 23% 21% 19% 13% 14% 23%Bad 75 79 81 86 86 77
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A majority (59%) still thinks the country is on the wrong track. The percentage that says it is onthe right track has risen to 35%, up from 29% a month ago and the highest in a year.
Direction of the Country
Now 1/9/12 12/2011 10/2011 9/2011 2/2011Right direction 35% 29% 25% 21% 19% 36%Wrong track 59 65 69 74 73 58
President Obama’s Approval Ratings
At 50%, President Obama’s approval rating is now the highest it has been since the killing ofOsama bin Laden last May.
President Obama’s Overall Job Rating
Now 1/2012 12/2011 11/2011 5/2011 1/2011Approve 50% 47% 47% 43% 57% 49%Disapprove 43 45 44 47 37 39More Americans still disapprove than approve of the President’s handling of the economy, buthe has improved some on this measure in the last few months.
President Obama: Approval of Handling of Economy
Now 1/2012 11/2011 6/2011 1/2011Approve 44% 40% 34% 37% 41%Disapprove 50 54 60 56 52Evaluations of the President on handling job creation and the deficit also remain net negative,but approval of his handling of job creation is now 41%, up from 35% in December.
President Obama: Approval of Handling of Economic Issues
Approve DisapproveJob creation 41% 52Deficit 32% 5942% of voters now think the President has made real progress fixing the economy, up from 33%earlier this year and 28% in December.
Has President Obama Made Real Progress Fixing the Economy?
(among registered voters)Now 1/2012 12/2011Yes 42% 33% 28%No 54 62 67
Looking Ahead to the General Election
The economy dominates as the issue voters most want to hear the presidential candidatesdiscuss – and many political observers say the economic situation will play a critical role inwhether or not the President is re-elected.For the first time, Barack Obama now has a clear advantage against all four of the majorRepublican candidates. When voters are asked who they would vote for if the presidentialelection were held today, Obama enjoys a six point lead over Mitt Romney, an eight point lead
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over Rick Santorum, an 11 point lead over Ron Paul, and an 18 point lead over Newt Gingrich.At the beginning of the year, Obama was about even with Ron Paul and trailed slightly behindMitt Romney among registered voters.
Who Would You Vote For in November if the Candidates Were…?
(Among registered voters)Now 1/18/2012 1/9/2012Barack Obama 48% 45% 45%Mitt Romney 42 45 47Barack Obama 49% 49% 47%Rick Santorum 41 38 43Barack Obama 50% 46% 46%Ron Paul 39 42 45Barack Obama 54% 50% 49%Newt Gingrich 36 39 41Since the beginning of the year, Democrats have consistently backed Obama, and Republicanshave consistently backed any of the possible Republican candidates. But self-identifiedindependents have recently shown a shift towards Obama. A month ago, independents weremore inclined to vote for Mitt Romney or Ron Paul than Barack Obama; now they favor Obamaagainst all four of the major Republican challengers.
Who Would You Vote For in November if the Candidates Were…?
(Among independent voters)Now 1/18/2012 1/9/2012Barack Obama 46% 38% 39%Mitt Romney 37 46 45Barack Obama 46% 45% 44%Rick Santorum 39 36 41Barack Obama 44% 39% 40%Ron Paul 40 49 47Barack Obama 51% 46% 45%Newt Gingrich 32 38 38
Candidate Qualities
54% of voters think Barack Obama understand the needs and problems of people likethemselves and, 47% think the same of Ron Paul. Just one in three think Newt Gingrich or MittRomney understands their needs. 37% think Rick Santorum does – but 26% can’t evaluate himon this measure.
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