So Far, Obama Remains Popular With Public

Poll Finds Reservations About Policies on Terrorism and Deficit, but Tentative Backing for Health-Care and Energy Overhauls

WASHINGTON -- A hundred days into his presidency, Barack Obama's standing with the public remains high, increasing the odds he can enact his ambitious agenda. Most Americans like their new president, even amid some reservations about his policy goals, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds.

The poll paints the image of a popular president, but also offers cautionary notes for the White House, including growing worry over the rising federal deficit, a solid majority opposing his release of Bush-era memos on interrogation techniques and slipping support for his signature economic-stimulus bill. Mr. Obama faces both a rising number of people who view him as a liberal rather than a moderate, and a populist concern that he's not tough enough on Wall Street.

There is early, tentative support for some of Mr. Obama's most complex policy goals, including health-care and energy overhauls, and support for most of the major moves he's already made.

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But the poll also finds that the president himself is more popular than his policies, a divide that may catch up with him as Congress begins debate over the big issues in earnest.

The poll finds yet another jump in the portion of the public that sees the nation headed in the right direction, despite the continued hard times, to the point where survey participants are now evenly divided between those who see things going in the right direction, and those who believe things are on the wrong track. That's the most optimistic finding in more than five years, and it suggests that the president himself is injecting this optimism into people, and that his own job approval numbers are likely to stay strong, pollsters say.

For the Republican opposition, the poll had scant good news. By a wide margin, the public is more likely to blame congressional Republicans for any gridlock.

Overall, more than half of those surveyed say the president is off to a great or good start, and nearly six in 10 say he's accomplished a great deal or a fair amount.

And 61% of people approve of the job Mr. Obama is doing as president, better ratings than George W. Bush or Bill Clinton had at the 100-day mark. Even more -- 64% -- see him in a positive light, though on this measure of popularity, he's lost some ground with both independents and Republicans.

The survey of 1,005 adults was conducted April 23-26 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points for the full sample.

"This poll shows presidential leadership," says Bill McInturff, a Republican pollster who conducts the survey with Democrat Peter D. Hart. "After 100 days, he has the latitude to really govern with some potency to try and get this very aggressive agenda done." He adds that the intensity of the public support is particularly high. "We are watching a Reagan-like early presidency."

The high ratings are driven largely by personality. Asked for their assessment of various qualities, the public gives Mr. Obama strong marks across the board. But it offers its highest grades on personal matters like honesty and values, versus leadership or professional questions such as being firm and decisive, or appointing qualified people. More than eight in 10 people surveyed say they like him personally.

"There is this kind of grumbling that this is all style, this is all fluff -- the spouse and the dog -- that it's somehow illegitimate," says Mr. McInturff. "All those things are important, because they provide a very strong personal attachment to him." That, he says, can give Mr. Obama months of bonus time to enact an aggressive agenda.

This sort of support is apparent in voters like Dora Ramirez, 73 years old, an independent who voted for Sen. John McCain last fall and worries about the growing national debt and, like half of all survey participants, opposes Mr. Obama's decision to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

But she approves of the job he's done in this first 100 days, and his personal style appeals to her. "I like the way he tries to be more positive about all the problems that are facing us," Mrs. Ramirez, of La Miraza, Calif., said in an interview. "I like the way he handles himself personally. I like his family. I like that he's a family man."

But personality may only take the president so far. Only a slim majority -- 52% -- say they are extremely or quite confident that Mr. Obama has the right set of goals and policies as president. That shows how hard it will be to pass his aggressive agenda.

"If the road for the first 100 days seems bumpy and full of potholes, the next stretch of road is hardly going to be much smoother," says Mr. Hart, the Democratic pollster.

That's partly because of the complexity of the issues Mr. Obama hopes to pursue.

On energy, 53% of survey participants said they approved of a proposal that would require companies to reduce greenhouse gases that cause global warming, even if it would also mean higher utility bills for consumers. That's a majority, but not such a large majority as to compel Congress to fall in line, Mr. Hart says.

On health care, the numbers favor the Obama plan but also aren't overwhelming. Without being given a description, 33% said that Mr. Obama's plan is a good idea, versus 26% who said it's a bad idea. When given a description, 56% said they favored the plan, versus just 33% who opposed it.

The combined weight of the issues may also affect the agenda. Already, 52% of people said Mr. Obama is trying to take on too many issues besides the economy.

One area where Mr. Obama has run against public opinion involves the debate over past use of torture in interrogations. A majority, 53%, disapproved of the president's decision to release memos detailing these methods.

Further, a clear majority, 61%, opposes a criminal investigation into whether torture was committed during the Bush administration. The White House has sent mixed messages on this matter.

On the economy, there was some sign that the public may be turning a corner. About 18% of those surveyed said they were very or somewhat satisfied, a small fraction of the public, but up from 7% in February. And the portion very dissatisfied with the economy dropped to 52% from 70%.

"We may have reached the bottom," in terms of public attitude, says Mr. McInturff. But the poll also shows continued concern over job security, and Mr. Hart speculated that if unemployment numbers rise, the public mood will fall again.

Write to Laura Meckler at laura.meckler@wsj.com

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