(RNS) U.S. Jews give President Barack Obama a high job approval rating, more than other religious groups and significantly more than the general population, Gallup reports.
While 52 percent of U.S. adults approve of the job the president is doing, 64 percent of Jewish adults voiced approval during the month of September, according to Gallup Daily, which tracks American’s views on politics.
Pollsters found that only nonreligious Americans equaled Jews in supporting the president, with 65 percent approving.
A majority of Catholic respondents — 54 percent — approved of the president’s work, followed by 47 percent of Protestants and 32 percent of Mormons.
Muslims were not included in the study because of their small percentage surveyed in the sample, but past Gallup analysis has shown high support of Obama by Muslims.
As it has with other groups, support for Obama has declined since January. While U.S. adults’ approval has shifted from 66 percent in January to 52 percent in September, Jewish approval of Obama has dropped from 83 percent to 64 percent. Jews’ disapproval ratings for Obama grew from 9 percent to 32 percent over that period, although Jews remain positive by a 2-to-1 margin.
The findings reflect the high proportion — about two-thirds — of Jews who identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party.
The September findings on U.S. adults are based on telephone interviews with 14,407 adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus
0.5 percentage points. The monthlong results for Jews are based on interviews with 379 Jews, with a margin of error of plus or minus 6 percentage points.
By Adelle M. Banks
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