Poll: Obama’s honesty rating drops in new poll

Two core measures of President Obama’s character have dropped in the past few months, as he has battled a government shutdown and the rocky rollout of his signature healthcare law, according to a new poll. 

A Gallup poll released Wednesday found less than half, 47 percent, of the public believe Obama is a strong and decisive leader, while the amount of people who describe him as honest and trustworthy has dropped 5 percentage points to 50 percent in the last two months. 

{mosads}Overall, 47 percent of people said words like “honest and trustworthy” do not apply to Obama, while 51 percent would not describe him as a “strong and decisive” leader.

Gallup found the decline in his honesty rating could be the most detrimental to his presidency if it does not improve. It was one of the most important drivers of his approval rating. 

Obama has faced criticism that he deceived the public with his promise that everyone who liked their health insurance could keep it. He has apologized to the millions who have received cancellation notices and has tasked his administration to come up with a solution. 

But the administration maintains many who have lost insurance would be able to purchase better coverage on the health insurance exchanges. 

“The recent controversy over whether the president honestly described Americans’ ability to retain their own healthcare plans under the Affordable Care Act could have the most significant implications for his presidency,” Gallup writes in an analysis accompanying the report. 

The Gallup numbers are slightly better than a Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday that found only 44 percent of people describes Obama as honest and trustworthy, a drop of 10 percent in a month.

Both polls highlight the downward trend of his numbers. 

The percentage of people who think Obama can manage the government effectively has dropped 5 points since September, to 42 percent, according to Gallup.

On the other hand, Obama’s approval on top issues has only dropped slightly in the last two months. Only 37 percent approves of his handling of healthcare policy. While low, it only represents a 2-point drop since September. 

Another 39 percent approves of his handling of the economy and foreign affairs — a 3-point drop in each. 

Gallup measured his overall approval rating at 43 percent in the poll. That is slightly above the 41 percent approval rating the polling organization has measured in the last two weeks of its tracking poll. 

It is also higher than the 39 percent approval rating Quinnipiac recorded Tuesday. 

The poll surveyed 1,039 national adults and has a 4-percentage-point margin of error.