Saturday, November 29, 2014

Just 27% of white non-college graduates approve of Barack Obama's job performance, according to the latest Gallup survey

He does 14 percentage points better among white college graduates, with a 41% rating. The gap between the two white groups has never been this big since Obama took office. Support overall for Obama among whites has dropped steadily throughout his term. Level of education is key to Obama's popularity — or lack thereof — among whites. In 2009, Obama's approval gap between college-educated and non-college-educated whites was 6 points. It went to 10 points in 2010; 12 points in 2013, and now stands at 14 points. Differences of opinion about Obama are also evident along ethnic lines, with 32% of non-Hispanic whites approving his performance compared to 84% of blacks. Asians give him 64% support, compared to 53% among those of Hispanic heritage. With roughly 67% of adult whites not having completed college, the "sheer size" of "the working-class white population" makes this bloc "of keen importance to politicians and strategists on both sides of the aisle," according to Gallup. Obama does best among white female college graduates with 45% approval, followed by 37% among white male college graduates. He gets a 25% rating among white male non-college graduates and 29% among female non-college graduates. Political strategists have talked about whether Democrats can make inroads with white voters by appealing to their economic situations. The cultural positions taken by the party have pushed many working-class voters away, according to Gallup. "Working-class whites exhibit weak support for the Democrats and their president, and it's not clear how likely that is to change as time goes on," Gallup concluded.

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