MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

President Obama and Democrats ratings fall ahead of November midterm election

An overwhelming majority, 65%, say job creation is the main concern

United States President Barack Obama's approval rating fell to a new low of 43% since he took office, down from 47% last month, according to a Reuters-Ipsos national poll. Ipsos pollsters say it appears that much of that drop comes from Democrats whose approval of Obama fell to 70% from 78% last month.

Among likely voters, 48% said they will choose opposition Republican candidates in the coming November midterm elections, while 44% say they will vote for a Democrat. That gap narrowed in the full survey sample, with 44% saying they would vote for the Republican candidate vs. 43% for the Democrat.

Sixty-three percent said the country is on the wrong track, which was the highest since Obama took office. Sixty-five percent said creating jobs is what Congress should focus on in 2011, and most said the best indicator of economic recovery is a drop in the unemployment rate.

The economy topped the list of the most important problem facing the United States, while respondents did not mention the Iraq war.

Ipsos pollster Cliff Young predicts that Republicans will gain control of the House, while Democrats will keep the majority in the Senate in the Nov. 2 elections.

“For the House specifically we're talking about a 45 to 50 seat swing. Our estimate is a 48 seat swing in favour of Republicans, which suggests a House that would have something around 208 seats for Democrats and 227 seats for Republicans - so a significant gain,” Young told reporters.

Are Republicans likely to gain control in the Senate? “There's a chance but we think it's unlikely. Our estimates suggest something around a 52 to 48 seat advantage to Democrats,” Young said.

The survey of 1,038 adults was conducted Oct. 7-11 and has a 3-point margin of error. In that sample were 720 likely voters with a margin of error of 3.7 points.