Poll Gives Obama Higher Personality Than Policy Ratings

HAMDEN, Conn. (CBS) - A new survey indicates that voters like President Obama but not his policies.

Peter Brown, with the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, says three out of four voters say they like President Obama personally but only 42 percent say they like his policies.

"And that to some degree explains the fact that his job approval is stuck in kind of the middle range," says Brown. "It's not too hot -- it's below the magic 50 percent number but it's not below 40, which is the real danger zone."

Brown says the question over the next two years will be whether personality or policies will prevail.

Nearly 60 percent of voters surveyed said they disapprove of the way Obama is handling the deficit.

"Quinnipiac also asked whether voters thought in order to reduce the budget deficit President Obama would cut government spending too much, too little, or about the same. And by 5-1 they thought Obama would cut government spending too little," Brown explains.

At the same time, voters said that Congress should not cut funding for National Public Radio or Planned Parenthood.

Reported by Paul Kurtz, KYW Newsradio 1060.