Gallup: More Trust Obama on Economy Than His Budget Plan

Americans trust President Barack Obama most to fix the ailing U.S. economy, according to a new Gallup poll, but he shouldn’t expect that to help him gain passage of his budget plan, released Wednesday.

Democrats and Republicans have been critical of Obama’s budget, even before it was released, Gallup notes in its analysis of the poll.

In the poll, conducted April 4-7, 57 percent expressed a “great deal” or “fair amount” of belief Obama could do the “right thing” for the economy. Forty-two percent said the president’s ability to do the right thing was “only a little” or “almost none.”

His positive numbers are up from 50-54 percent the last three years, but still far below his 71 percent rating in 2009.

Ninety percent of Democrats gave Obama a thumbs up on the economy, but independents were about evenly divided at 51 percent in favor, 47 percent against. Only 24 percent of Republicans gave the president a favorable rating.

More women than men believe in Obama’s economic abilities. Sixty-two percent of women surveyed gave him favorable marks, while 52 percent of men did.

Congressional Democrats scored slightly below Obama, with 48 percent expressing confidence in their ability to do the “right thing” on the economy. That’s up from a decade low of 39 percent last year, but still far below their 66 percent in 2001.

Congressional Republicans gained a point over last year, climbing to 39 percent. That single point rise was within the poll’s sampling error of plus/minus 4 percent and near their decade low. They scored highest in this century when they tied the Democrats at 66 percent in 2001.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke climbed from 39 percent approval last year to 42 percent in 2013. Thirty-eight percent disapproved. In 2012 more Americans had little or no confidence in the Fed chairman’s abilities on the economy than those who believed in him.