(RNS) U.S. Jews give President Barack Obama a high job approval rating, more than other religious groups and significantly more than the general population, Gallup reports.
While 52 percent of U.S. adults approve of the job the president is doing, 64 percent of Jewish adults voiced approval during the month of September, according to Gallup Daily, which tracks American’s views on politics.
Pollsters found that only nonreligious Americans equaled Jews in supporting the president, with 65 percent approving.
A majority of Catholic respondents — 54 percent — approved of the president’s work, followed by 47 percent of Protestants and 32 percent of Mormons.
Muslims were not included in the study because of their small percentage surveyed in the sample, but past Gallup analysis has shown high support of Obama by Muslims.
As it has with other groups, support for Obama has declined since January. While U.S. adults’ approval has shifted from 66 percent in January to 52 percent in September, Jewish approval of Obama has dropped from 83 percent to 64 percent. Jews’ disapproval ratings for Obama grew from 9 percent to 32 percent over that period, although Jews remain positive by a 2-to-1 margin.
The findings reflect the high proportion — about two-thirds — of Jews who identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party.
The September findings on U.S. adults are based on telephone interviews with 14,407 adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus
0.5 percentage points. The monthlong results for Jews are based on interviews with 379 Jews, with a margin of error of plus or minus 6 percentage points.
By Adelle M. Banks
Copyright 2009 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.
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posted October 8, 2009 at 12:28 am
The last poll I saw has President Obama’s popularity up at 56% approval, quite good I think for a president at this stage and surely quite good considering all the problems he inherited from Bush and the Republicans, and the total lack of cooperation from Republicans in Congress.
As for the Jewish opinions, it gives evidence for the common opinion that they are smart people.
Now why is the headline about Jews, not about the nonreligious? And what’s the matter with the Protestants? Apparently they just don’t get it (on average).
posted October 8, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Hmm, interesting. All the polls I keep seeing show Obama’s approval right at 50%. Hard to believe that most Jews still support Obama considering the fact he’s the first President in a long time to not give Israel everything they want and the vast majority of Jewish people I know cannot stand Obama because of that.
Of course the thing with categorizing people in polls is that even though they may identify as certain things, whether or not they practice it (and are truly what they identify themselves as) is another thing all together.
No shocker that the non-religious like Obama, since he is about as non-religious as they come.
posted October 10, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Many Jews who left their homeland, in heart and/or in geography, are not supportive of Israel or it’s traditional belief system and so succumb to the long-held political stances of generations of like-minded Jews in America – Liberalism – and so become Democrats and are Jewish by culture only.
A plank in the Republican platform has supported Israel since support (or not) became a question. Which, by the way, it has not always been.
Israel is to America as Cuba was to the USSR, but for profoundly better, moral reasons.
Long live Republican support.
The audacity of ex patriotism.
posted October 10, 2009 at 4:34 pm
…by the way, GodsCountry claims the above comment.
I don’t know why the headings frequently drop out, but they do.
posted October 10, 2009 at 4:43 pm
“”…considering all the problems he inherited from Bush and the Republicans, and the total lack of cooperation from Republicans in Congress…”"
Wrong. BHO has managed to maintain any positives by blaming Bush and Republicans in congress. He would see totally tanked figures without this apparently effective deflection. He sets up Bush as a straw-man virtually every time he opens his mouth. Republicans in congress have disallowed his travesty-called-policy and so have actually been instrumental in keeping his poll numbers from decimation. That is to say that if BHO had actually been given what he wanted, his poll numbers would not be a concern – he would already be facing impeachment.
The audacity of politics.
posted October 11, 2009 at 12:04 am
“”…The audacity of ex patriotism…”"
…should read “The audacity of expatriate-ism”
posted October 11, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Good God, GC! Where were you for the 8 years that “W” was in the White House…on another planet?
You think that the “W” man did ANYTHING good for this country? When he left office, there was a collective sign of relief from the world at large. He caused the world to hate this country….he bullied and badgered and was a total pain in the butt for 8 very, very long years.
Obama is far from perfect, as we all are, but at least he knows how to talk to and listen to the leaders of other countries. “W” thought he was King of the world….and spoke (when he managed to put 2 words together that made sense)as if the rest of the countries were to bow down to him.
posted October 11, 2009 at 9:06 pm
>>as if the rest of the countries were to bow down to him
posted October 11, 2009 at 9:27 pm
No, GC, the rest of the world doesn’t expect us to bow to them. The apprecitate we don’t have an idiot for president anymore.