Obama's approval rating hits new low

PRINCETON, N.J., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama's job approval rating has fallen by more than 2 percentage points in the most recent quarter to a new low, Gallup reported Thursday.

Obama averaged 44.7 percent approval during the seventh quarter of his presidency, which included a three-day approval rating of 41 percent in mid-August, results indicated.

Obama's seventh-quarter average is on the low end of comparable averages among the nine presidents since Dwight Eisenhower, and is similar to several presidents, including Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said.

Obama's decreased popularity is also evident in his favorable rating, Gallup said. For the first time, more Americans said they viewed the president unfavorably -- 50 percent -- than favorably, 47 percent, the lowest favorable rating in his presidency to date.

Results for the favorable ratings are based on nationwide telephone interviews with 1,029 adults conducted Oct. 14-17. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.

The approval rating results are based on Gallup Daily tracking surveys conducted from July 20-Oct. 19, including interviews with more than 90,000 participants. A margin of error was not given.