Breakdown:
Foreign Affairs- 51 percent disapprove and 42 percent approve
Education- 50 percent disapprove and 41 percent approve
Afghanistan- 55 percent disapprove and 38 percent approve
Creating Jobs- 65 percent disapprove and 29 percent approve
The Economy- 71 disapprove and 26 percent approve
The Federal Budget Deficit- 71 disapprove and 21 percent approve
As the chart above shows, Obama has lost percentage points on every single issue from May to August.
Bottom Line
President Obama's approval rating has dwindled in recent weeks to the point that it is barely hugging the 40% line. Three months earlier, it approached or exceeded 50%. History will remember this period for the messy political debate in Washington over the debt ceiling, followed by distress on Wall Street and tragedy in Afghanistan. How much each of these factors is responsible for the overall decline in Obama's approval rating is unclear. But Americans' unhappiness with each of them is reflected in recent declines in Obama's specific job ratings for the economy, the federal budget deficit, and various foreign policy measures, as well as in his markedly low rating for creating jobs.
Democrats alone rate Obama above 50 percent but among Republicans and Independents, Obama doesn't top a 50 percent approval rating on any front.
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