President Barack Obama's approval rating is continuing to slip, according to new polling data. The poll also showed a majority of respondents believe the country is heading in the wrong direction.

A joint NBC News and Wall Street Journal survey revealed President Obama's approval rating slipped by 3 percentage points to 41 percent. According to a previous poll from April, Obama's approval rating was 44 percent. Based on data since August 2013, the president's approval rating has consistently been on the 40th percentile. His highest approval rating was 61 percent based on a April 2009 survey.

While 6 percent of respondents were "not sure" of his performance, 53 percent disapproved of Obama's actions as president. Based on the survey, the disapproval rating is an increase from 50 percent in April, but it is a decrease from March's high of 54 percent.

According to the poll, with the assistance of Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies, more people had "very negative" reactions when Obama's name was read. More people thought positively of the Environmental Protection Agency, Hillary Clinton, and the Democratic Party before Obama. The president did fare better than Vice President Joe Biden, the Republican Party, and the Tea Party Movement.

Obama's handling of the economy was also not seen as positive. The president's approval rating on handling the economy decreased by 1 percentage point from April, resulting in a 41 percent finish in June. A majority, at 54 percent, disapproved of his economic performance, while 5 percent were unsure. The highest approval rating for Obama on the economy was 56 percent in February 2009. The highest disapproval rating was from August 2011 with 59 percent.

Foreign policy is also a weak spot for Obama. Most respondents disapproved of Obama's handling of foreign policy with 57 percent while 37 percent approved. The disapproval rating is down 5 percentage points while the approval rating ticked up one percent compared to April's NBC News and Wall Street Journal poll. The 57 percent disapproval rating is also the highest for Obama since March and April's joint-highest percentage of 53 percent. Obama's highest approval rating on foreign policy was 57 percent back in May 2011.

Looking ahead, the poll revealed a majority of Americans believe Obama cannot lead or get the job done for the rest of his term, with 54 percent to 42 percent. The top reasons for the Obama administration's troubles ranged from healthcare, foreign policy, the Taliban prisoner exchange for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, economic policy, and "lies/lack of honesty." Respondents to the survey said the Obama administration has "gotten better" on issues such as unemployment, student loans, immigration reform and the Affordable Care Act.

"It all comes back to one word: leadership," said pollster Peter Hart, who helped conduct the poll. "He may be winning the issues debate, but he's losing the political debate because they don't see him as a leader."

Most Americans surveyed said the U.S. is "Off on the wrong track," with 63 percent, which is down double-digits from last October's high of 78 percent. Only 25 percent of respondents believe the country is "Headed in the right direction," down from 27 percent in April. The recent highest percentage was in December 2012 when the approval rating was 41 percent.

The NBC News and Wall Street Journal poll surveyed 1,000 adults between June 11 and June 15 with a margin of 3.10 percent.

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