(Week of 10/13/2012) The economy remains the country’s most important issue — and it may still be the President’s biggest weakness. But the latest Economist/YouGov Poll finds that both contenders still have a way to go in convincing voters that they are the candidate to make the country’s economy work for ordinary Americans.
Voters are just as likely to think the economy would get worse as it would improve if the President is re-elected. More see improvement with a Romney Presidency.
The President has confronted a bad economy from the start of his presidency; even the improving jobs picture has had little positive impact on expectations. While there has been some improvement in economic perception, it has been glacially slow. This week, less than a third say the economy is getting better; more say it is continuing to get worse.
But Romney still has a hurdle of his own to overcome. Less than half of registered voters believe he cares about the needs and problems of people like themselves (in contrast, 96% think Romney cares about the needs of the wealthy). More than half believe President Obama cares about people like them.
Economist/YouGov poll archives can be found here
Photo source: Press Association
