Obama Job Approval Rating 2014: Support for Obama Low Among College-Educated, Non-College Educated Whites Than Latinos, Blacks
President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party's job approval ratings have overall been over 50 percent among Latinos, but percentage rate is significantly lower with whites.
Polling figures by Gallup showed whites college graduates held a 41 percent approval rating toward Obama, but the percentage rate declined by 14 percentage points with non-college graduates. Among the white non-college graduates, Obama's job approval rating slipped to 27 percent. According to Gallup, the 14 percentage-point spread is the largest difference between the two groups since Obama took office in 2009.
"These data underscore the magnitude of the Democratic Party's problem with working-class whites, among whom Obama lost in the 2012 presidential election, and among whom Democratic House candidates lost in the 2014 U.S. House voting by 30 points," wrote Gallup's Frank Newport.
While the overall presidential job approval rating has dropped during Obama's six years, the gap between college-educated and non-college educated has been noticeable and increasing among whites. At Obama's highest job approval rating peak in 2009, the percentage spread among whites was 6 percent, but it has increase gradually to 10 percent in 2010 and then 12 percent in 2013.
Obama and the Democratic Party have had problems connecting with the white population as blacks have given them 84 percent of support, 64 percent by Asians and Latinos provided an approval rating of 53 percent. Overall, whites participating in the Gallup survey showed a 32 percent approval rating for Obama.
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"About two-thirds of adult whites have not graduated from college, making working-class whites a particularly important group politically because of its sheer size," Newport said.
Women are more likely to support Obama than men. Regardless of education status, women showed better approval figures as 45 percent of white female graduates and 29 percent of female non-college graduates favored Obama.
"Among whites, Obama does better with younger Americans than with those who are older, but the education gap is evident across all age groups," Newport said. "Approval among 18-to-29-year-old white college graduates is 17 points higher than among 18- to 29-year-old white non-college graduates. Gaps by education are somewhat smaller among those aged 50 and older."
Based on the survey, the Democratic Party has weak support from the working-class white population while one of its "core segments" is the coalition of minority race and ethnic populations. A small segment of "highly educated" whites have shown approval toward the Democratic Party, based on the survey, although the overall white population has been of "keen importance" for politicians regardless of political party affiliation.
The Gallup survey was conducted with 149,150 adults between January and October 2014 with a margin of error of 1-percentage point.
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