President Barack Obama’s approval rating has declined to an all-time low in a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll following the federal government shutdown.
Forty-two percent approve of his job performance, down five points from earlier this month. Fifty-one percent disapprove of his job -- tied for his all-time high.
For the first time, more people view him negatively than positively -- 45 percent to 41 percent.
There is no single reason for the change. Pollsters attribute it to a series of problems -- government surveillance, the debate over Syria’s chemical weapons, the government shutdown and the health-care law’s implementation.
“Personally and politically, the public’s assessment is two thumbs down,” says Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted this survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff. “Mad as hell as we’re not going to take it anymore”
The poll was conducted Oct. 25-28 of 800 adults and has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.5 percentage points.