Jewish-American Support for Obama Higher Than That of Other Religious Groups

2 years ago

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During the 2008 campaign, Barack Obama initially faced -- and overcame -- doubts among Jewish voters about him, and now as president he is getting his highest job approval marks from Jewish-Americans compared to other religious denominations, according to Gallup data for September.

Sixty-four percent of Jewish-Americans approve of the job that Obama is doing, compared to 54 percent of Catholics, 47 percent of Protestants and 32 percent of Mormons. That's in keeping with the fact that 66 percent of Jews identify themselves as Democrat or Democrat-leaning, compared to 47 percent of Catholics, 43 percent of Protestants and 20 percent of Mormons. Gallup did not poll Muslims because they constitute only 0.5 percent of its sample, making their numbers too few to analyze.

However, as has been the case with Obama's overall approval ratings, the level of Jewish-American support has fallen since he took office. In January it stood at 83 percent.

In 2008, Obama at one point was polling about 60 percent approval from Jewish voters, compared to the 75 percent that 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry received. But exit polls on election day ultimately showed Obama getting 78 percent.

Gallup said:

"American Jews' solid backing of Obama stands in contrast to Jewish opinion in Israel, where many are still taking stock of the new American president and trying to determine his long-term policy intentions for the Mideast. A recent poll of Jews in Israel, sponsored by the Jerusalem Post, found only 4% believing Obama's policies are 'pro-Israel' and 35% calling them evenly balanced, while 51% said they are 'pro-Palestinian.' By contrast, a previous survey found 88% of Israelis believing George W. Bush's policies were 'pro-Israel.' "

Filed Under: Democrats, Barack Obama, Polls, Poll Watch

Tagged: Jewish vote, JewishVote

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