Economic, mood indicators up under Obama

PRINCETON, N.J., Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Many key indicators have improved since President Obama took the oath of office in January 2009, but the path so far has had been rocky, Gallup said Tuesday.

More than half of U.S. residents in an August USA Today-Gallup survey said they and their family weren't any better off than they were when Obama won the 2008 election, results indicated.

The review indicates that Americans still give higher scores on four mood and economic indicators than they did when Obama took office, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said.

Obama's job approval rating, however, remains lower now than it was then. Obama's job approval rating now is 45 percent compared to 64 percent when he took office.

Gallup's Economic Confidence Index is higher now than it was when Obama took office, recovering from the near-record low of -58 in Obama's first full month in office in February 2009. The confidence indicator was -27 in August, slightly better than the average of -31 across Obama's term so far.

Survey results indicate satisfaction with the way things are going in the United States fluctuated during Obama's tenure so far and was at 25 percent in late August, up from 15 percent in February 2009. It averaged between 19 percent and 26 percent for most of 2010 and early 2011.

Nearly half of respondents, 48 percent, said in August their standard of living was improving, a significant improvement from 35 percent during Obama's first full month in office, Gallup said.

Gallup's Job Creation Index is one measure that has climbed linearly since Obama took office from -5 in February 2009 to +19 in August.

Gallup said its analyses were based on trends included in the Gallup Daily tracking survey and in separate monthly polls.