US President Barack Obamas job approval scores continue to slide downward while the favourable ratings of the Democratic Party too have declined sharply since spring,a new opinion poll has found. The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center showed that 51 per cent of Americans approve of Obamas job performance while 37 per cent disapprove. This indicates a fall of three points from July (54 per cent) and a sharp 10-point drop from June (61 per cent). Just 49 per cent now say they have a favourable view of the Democratic Party. This compares with a 59 per cent favorable rating for the party as recently as April and 62 per cent shortly before Obama took office in January. Opinion of the Republican Party,which stands at 40 per cent,has not changed all the year. Conducted from August 11-17 in English and Spanish among 2,010 adults reached on landlines and cell phones,the survey found that a growing proportion of Americans (63 per cent) think that Obama and Republican leaders are not working together to deal with important issues facing the nation. In June,50 per cent said the two sides were not cooperating. While more people continue to blame Republican leaders than blame Obama,the percentage saying the president is at fault (17 per cent) is higher now than in June (12 per cent) and much higher than in February (7 per cent).
