Obama popularity drops on economy: poll

According to the Washington Post-ABC survey 2 for every one 1 Americans say the country is pretty seriously on the wrong track, and nine in 10 continue to rate the economy in negative terms.

Besides, on the 2012 presidential candidates Obama finds himself locked in a dead heat with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who has made jobs and the economy the central issues in his campaign. "The survey portrays a broadly pessimistic mood in the country this spring as higher gasoline prices, sliding home values and a disappointing employment picture have raised fresh concerns about the pace of the economic recovery," Post said.

Nearly six in 10 said the economy has not started to recover, regardless of what official statistics may say, and most of those who said it has improved, rated the recovery as weak. On the 2012 presidential elections, while Obama is reported to be ahead of most of his Republican presidential aspirants for the 2012 elections, but he is locked in a dead heat with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who has made jobs and the economy the central issues in his campaign.

"Among all Americans, Obama and Romney are knotted at 47 per cent each, and among registered voters, the former governor is numerically ahead, 49 per cent to 46 per cent," it said.

Romney, in fact, emerges as the strongest Republican candidate against Obama. On the other hand, if the polls have to be believed, almost two-thirds of all Americans say they "definitely would not" vote for Sarah Palin for president.

"She is predictably unpopular with Democrats and most independents, but the new survey underscores the hurdles she would face if she became a candidate: 42 per cent of Republicans say they've ruled out supporting her candidacy," The Post said.