Poll: Voters like Obama more than policies

HAMDEN, Conn., March 3 (UPI) -- A significant majority of U.S. voters say they like President Barack Obama but they are much less fond of his policies, a poll released Thursday said.

About three-quarters of those surveyed for the Quinnipiac Poll said they like Obama personally, with 41 percent saying they also like his policies and 33 percent saying they do not. Only 19 percent dislike both Obama and his policies, while 1 percent like the policies but not the man.

"President Barack Obama is a charmer. The American people like him a great deal, but they aren't nearly as sold on his policies. This combination of personal appeal and skepticism about his policies explains why his overall approval numbers seem to be stuck in the middle," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Voters are split 46-46 on Obama's polices, and 47-46 on whether he should be re-elected.

Almost three out of five, 58 percent, disapprove of Obama's handling of the budget. Ten percent disapprove.

Quinnipiac found a majority worried about the federal deficit and willing to make sacrifices to reduce it. But respondents were less willing to cut the big-ticket items, with more than 70 percent opposing cuts in Social Security and Medicare and 59 percent cuts in Medicaid.

They were split down the middle on cutting the defense budget.

Quinnipiac interviewed 1,887 registered voters between Feb. 21 and Feb. 28. The margin of error is 2.1 percentage points.