Poll: Palin improves; Obama holds steady

PRINCETON, N.J., Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin can't shake her unfavorable ratings despite an enthusiastic response to her memoirs, a Gallup Poll indicates.

U.S. President Barack Obama's favorable ratings, meanwhile, held steady, USA Today/Gallup poll results released Thursday indicated. The poll found 56 percent of respondents said they have a favorable view of the president, while 42 percent viewed Obama unfavorably.

Concerning Palin, results showed 44 percent of respondents view the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate favorably while 47 percent said they view Palin in a negative way, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said. The 44 percent mark was an improvement from the 40 percent of respondents saying they viewed Palin favorably in the previous month's poll.

Obama's favorable rating have been holding steady in the 55 percent-to-56 percent range since October, but still remains down significantly from earlier this year, Gallup said. His approval ratings dipped below the 50 percent mark during the past few weeks.

Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews with 1,025 adults conducted Friday through Sunday. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.