Obama's Approval Rating Plummets in California

By Steven Shepard  //  September 14, 2011 | 3:00 a.m.
Updated: September 14, 2011 | 12:07 p.m.

US President Barack Obama leans over to listen to a student during a visit to the Dr Martin Luther King Charter School October 15, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Obama arrived in New Orleans Thursday for his first visit as president, facing claims his brief stay fails to live up to promises made to the hurricane-torn city during his White House bid. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

If there was any question about the breadth and magnitude of the plunge in President Obama's job-approval rating this summer, consider this new data point: For the first time, fewer than half of voters in deep-blue California approve of the job Obama is doing, according to a new Field Poll released early Wednesday.

Just 46 percent of voters approve of the job Obama is doing, while 44 percent disapprove. That is eight points lower than the previous Field Poll, conducted in June.

Obama has lost ground among all groups. His approval rating is 10 points lower among Democrats, 2 points lower among Republicans, and a whopping 13 points lower among independents, down to 45 percent among that key group.

Obama has lost 10 percent of men and 6 percent of women. His approval rating is nine points lower among white voters and three points down among Hispanics. It dropped 6 points among voters aged 18-29, 10 points among voters in their 30s, 7 points among voters in their 40s, 8 points among voters aged 50-64, and 10 points among voters over 65.

California voters are increasingly pessimistic about the direction of the country. Just 21 percent of voters -- and 16 percent of independents -- think the country is on the right track.

Despite the steep drop in Obama's approval rating, he remains likely to carry California, the Electoral College's biggest prize. While the percentage of voters who say they are not inclined to reelect him has risen since June, more voters still say they are inclined to support his reelection, by a margin of 49 percent to 44 percent. California has voted for the Democrat for president in each election since 1992. One possible reason why Obama's reelection percentage slightly outperforms his approval rating is that the president remains personally popular in the Golden State. Fifty-five percent of voters have a favorable opinion of Obama, while 41 percent have an unfavorable opinion of him. The Field Poll was conducted Sept. 1-12, surveying 1,001 registered voters. Each question released Wednesday, however, was asked of random, split subsamples. The margins of error were +/- 4.4 percent or +/- 4.6 percent, depending on which sample was asked the question. The margins of error were higher for subgroups.

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