Obama's approval stagnant despite increased consumer confidence in American economy

Washington, Feb 25(ANI): A new poll has shown that US President Barack Obama's approval has remained stagnant over the past few months despite increased consumer confidence in the economy.

The Quinnipiac poll shows that Obama's approval increased by just one percent to 45 percent, while his disapproval continues to remain at 49 percent.

The poll also found that 54 percent of respondents said the US economy is getting better, as compared to 28 percent, who held the same view in September 2010.

Georgetown University Assistant Professor Jonathan Ladd, who studies the relationship between economic data and presidential performance, said the increased consumer confidence has not taken hold for a long enough period to draw conclusions - or affect Obama's popularity.

"My take is that we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves. There are signs indicating that growth is coming ... [but] as a rule of thumb - to be sure to get the impact of higher growth, it needs to be happening for at least a quarter," Politico quoted Ladd as saying.

"Voters have begun to change their minds about the economy. But President Barack Obama is not singing along as there is little uptick in his job approval numbers and the share of voters who think he deserves a second term in the Oval Office," Quinnipiac University Polling Institute's Assistant Director Peter A. Brown said.

Another Democratic pollster Celinda Lake predicted that Obama's rising popularity would soon follow the growing confidence in the US economy.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney also shrugged off the latest round of diverging numbers.

"I mean, there are a variety of polls that show different things about his approval rating and things like that, as well as whether people believe that he has their interests at heart in the policy decisions he makes, which I can assure you he does," Carney added. (ANI)