Rasmussen poll:President Obama earns strong approval rating from less then half of the nation

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Approval Index for Sunday shows that 42% of the nation’s voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Obama is performing as President. While that’s down a few points from a spike surrounding his inauguration, it is consistent with the level of strong support the President has enjoyed almost every single day since his electoral victory in November.

At the same time, the President’s negatives have risen a bit since he assumed office and 20% now Strongly Disapprove of his performance. The higher negatives give Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of +22, his lowest rating as President or President-elect since Thanksgiving.

Not surprisingly, partisan and ideological divides remain clear when it comes to evaluating the President. The number of political conservatives who Strongly Disapprove of Obama’s performance has increased from 29% on the morning of Inauguration Day to 38% today. Only 17% of conservatives Strongly Approve.

At the other extreme, 79% of liberal voters Strongly Approve of Obama’s performance to date while just 5% Strongly Disapprove.

Overall, 60% of all voters somewhat or strongly approve of Obama’s performance so far while 36% disapprove.