PRINCETON, N.J., June 19 (UPI) -- President Obama's approval rating is higher than Americans' satisfaction with the direction the country is headed, a Gallup survey released Wednesday indicated.
The 24 percentage point gap is typical for Obama's presidency but represents a much greater presidential job-approval nod than most presidents since Ronald Reagan enjoyed, Gallup said of its review of polling data.
The average gap between approval and satisfaction for George W. Bush during his eight years in the White House was 12 percentage points, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said. The gap was 10 percentage points for presidents Bill Clinton and Reagan.
Gallup said its survey indicated the only other president who consistently logged much higher job approval ratings than the coinciding level of U.S. satisfaction was George H.W. Bush, who had a 21 percentage point average gap.
Obama's job approval rating has fallen to below 50 percent in several recent polls, including Gallup's Daily tracking so far in June. Still, Gallup said, his approval rating and overall satisfaction with the direction of the country are well ahead of Congress' job rating, which is around 10 percent to the low teens, depending on the poll.
