text: July 2, 2014 - Obama Is First As Worst President Since WWII, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; More Voters Say Romney Would Have Been Better 
   
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   President Barack Obama is the worst president since World War II, 33 percent of American voters say in a Quinnipiac University National Poll released today. Another 28 percent pick President George W. Bush. 
   
   
   
   
   
   Ronald Reagan is the best president since WWII, 35 percent of voters say, with 18 percent for Bill Clinton, 15 percent for John F. Kennedy and 8 percent for Obama, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Among Democrats, 34 percent say Clinton is the best president, with 18 percent each for Obama and Kennedy. 
   
   
   
   
   
   Obama has been a better president than George W. Bush, 39 percent of voters say, while 40 percent say he is worse. Men say 43 - 36 percent that Obama is worse than Bush while women say 42 - 38 percent he is better. Obama is worse, Republicans say 79 - 7 percent and independent voters say 41 - 31 percent. Democrats say 78 - 4 percent that he is better. 
   
   
   
   
   
   Voters say by a narrow 37 - 34 percent that Obama is better for the economy than Bush. 
   
   
   
   
   
   America would be better off if Republican Mitt Romney had won the 2012 presidential election, 45 percent of voters say, while 38 percent say the country would be worse off. 
   
   
   
   
   
   Missing Mitt are Republicans 84 - 5 percent and independent voters 47 - 33 percent, while Democrats say 74 - 10 percent that the U.S. would be worse off with Romney. 
   
   
   
   
   
   "Over the span of 69 years of American history and 12 presidencies, President Barack Obama finds himself with President George W. Bush at the bottom of the popularity barrel," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. 
   
   
   
   
   
   "Would Mitt have been a better fit? More voters in hindsight say yes." 
   
   
   
   
   
   American voters say 54 - 44 percent that the Obama Administration is not competent running the government. The president is paying attention to what his administration is doing, 47 percent say, while 48 percent say he does not pay enough attention. 
   
   
   
   
   
   President Obama's job approval rating, inching up since a negative 38 - 57 percent in December, 2013, his all-time low, is stalled at a negative 40 - 53 percent. This compares to the president's negative 42 - 50 percent job approval in an April 2 national survey. 
   
   
   
   
   
   Today, the president gets negative scores of 10 - 88 percent from Republicans, 31 - 59 percent from independent voters, 37 - 57 percent from men and 42 - 49 percent from women. Democrats approve 79 - 13 percent. 
   
   
   
   
   
   The president gets mixed grades for character as voters say 48 - 48 percent that he is honest and trustworthy and 51 - 47 percent that he cares about their needs and problems. He gets a negative 47 - 51 percent for leadership qualities. 
   
   
   
   
   
   The economy and jobs are the most important problems facing the country today, 35 percent of voters say, with 12 percent listing politicians/campaigns/corruption, 6 percent each for healthcare and foreign affairs, 5 percent for the budget and 4 percent each for education and immigration. 
   
   
   
   
   
   Obama gets negative grades for his handling of most key issues: 
   
   Negative 40 - 55 percent for handling the economy; 
   
   Negative 37 - 57 percent for foreign policy; 
   
   Negative 40 - 58 percent for health care; 
   
   50 - 40 percent for the environment; 
   
   Negative 44 - 51 percent for terrorism; 
   
   From June 24 - 30, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,446 registered voters nationwide with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones. 
   
   
   
   
   
   The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado and the nation as a public service and for research. 
   
   
   
   
   
   For more information, visit http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter 
   
   
   
   
   
   3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Approve 40% 10% 79% 31% 37% 42% 46% 45% 36% 36% Disapprove 53 88 13 59 57 49 44 47 57 57 DK/NA 7 3 8 10 6 9 10 7 7 6 
   
   TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? (* High also 59% Mar 2009) 
   
   APPROVE....... High Low Jul 02 Apr 02 Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Jun 04 Dec 10 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013 2009* 2013 Approve 40 42 40 41 38 59 38 Disapprove 53 50 54 53 57 31 57 DK/NA 7 8 6 7 6 10 6 
   
   35. Thinking about the United States Presidents we have had since World War II: Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Senior, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, which one would you consider the best president? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Harry Truman 4% 4% 4% 6% 6% 4% 2% 2% 4% 10% Dwight Eisenhower 5 4 2 8 6 4 8 5 3 6 John Kennedy 15 6 18 17 14 15 21 9 15 17 Lyndon Johnson 3 - 6 1 4 2 2 2 4 2 Richard Nixon 1 2 - 1 1 1 4 1 - - Gerald Ford 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 - Jimmy Carter 2 - 4 2 2 3 - 2 5 2 Ronald Reagan 35 66 6 36 37 33 18 36 42 34 George Bush Senior 3 6 1 4 2 4 1 6 3 2 Bill Clinton 18 3 34 16 18 18 21 24 14 14 George W. Bush 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Barack Obama 8 4 18 2 6 10 10 10 6 5 DK/NA 4 2 5 4 3 5 11 2 2 5 
   
   TREND: Thinking about the United States Presidents we have had since World War II: Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Senior, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, which one would you consider the best president? 
   
   Jul 02 Jun 01 2014 2006 Harry Truman 4 7 Dwight Eisenhower 5 5 John Kennedy 15 18 Lyndon Johnson 3 1 Richard Nixon 1 1 Gerald Ford 1 1 Jimmy Carter 2 5 Ronald Reagan 35 28 George Bush Senior 3 2 Bill Clinton 18 25 George W. Bush 1 3 Barack Obama 8 na DK/NA 4 4 
   
   36. Which of these twelve presidents we have had since World War II would you consider the worst president: Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Senior, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush or Barack Obama? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Harry Truman - - - - - - - - - - Dwight Eisenhower 1 1 1 - - 1 - - 2 - John Kennedy - - - - - - - - - - Lyndon Johnson 3 4 3 2 4 3 5 4 2 3 Richard Nixon 13 5 20 14 11 15 12 12 16 13 Gerald Ford 2 - 2 2 3 - 2 1 1 2 Jimmy Carter 8 14 1 9 11 6 4 7 8 13 Ronald Reagan 3 - 6 3 4 3 4 4 4 2 George Bush Senior 2 - 4 1 1 2 - 3 1 2 Bill Clinton 3 4 1 3 2 3 2 2 4 2 George W. Bush 28 5 54 23 26 30 38 34 21 22 Barack Obama 33 63 4 36 34 32 24 29 39 34 DK/NA 4 3 4 4 4 4 10 3 1 5 
   
   TREND: Which of these twelve presidents we have had since World War II would you consider the worst president: Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Senior, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush or Barack Obama? 
   
   Jul 02 Jun 01 2014 2006 Harry Truman - 1 Dwight Eisenhower 1 - John Kennedy - 1 Lyndon Johnson 3 4 Richard Nixon 13 17 Gerald Ford 2 2 Jimmy Carter 8 13 Ronald Reagan 3 3 George Bush Senior 2 3 Bill Clinton 3 16 George W. Bush 28 34 Barack Obama 33 na DK/NA 4 5 
   
   37. Do you think Barack Obama has been a better President than George W. Bush, worse, or about the same as President Bush? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Better 39% 7% 78% 31% 36% 42% 45% 45% 35% 34% Worse 40 79 4 41 43 38 25 32 48 49 About the same 20 13 16 27 21 19 28 22 17 16 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 
   
   TREND: Do you think Barack Obama has been a better President than George W. Bush, worse, or about the same as President Bush? 
   
   Jul 02 Jan 13 Nov 17 Jul 21 Jan 13 2014 2011 2010 2010 2010 Better 39 46 43 42 43 Worse 40 30 37 32 30 About the same 20 22 19 23 23 DK/NA 1 3 2 3 4 
   
   38. How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right; almost all of the time, most of the time, only some of the time, or hardly ever? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Almost all the time 2% 1% 4% - 2% 1% 2% 3% 1% 1% Most of the time 12 5 21 9 12 11 18 11 11 10 Some of the time 49 48 56 45 43 54 50 48 47 50 Hardly ever 37 45 17 45 42 33 29 37 41 39 DK/NA 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 - 1 1 
   
   TREND: How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right; almost all of the time, most of the time, only some of the time, or hardly ever? 
   
   ALMST+MOST.... High Low Jul 02 Jan 21 Dec 10 Nov 12 Oct 01 Mar 24 Dec 10 2014 2014 2013 2013 2013 2010 2013 Almost all the time 2 2 1 2 3 2 1 Most of the time 12 13 11 13 14 17 11 Some of the time 49 50 46 49 51 50 46 Hardly ever 37 33 41 35 31 30 41 DK/NA 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 
   
   39. Would you say that Barack Obama - is honest and trustworthy or not? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Yes 48% 15% 85% 42% 42% 53% 57% 51% 45% 44% No 48 81 12 53 53 43 35 45 53 51 DK/NA 4 4 3 5 4 4 9 3 2 5 
   
   TREND: Would you say that Barack Obama is honest and trustworthy or not? (* Low also 44% Nov 2013) 
   
   YES........... High Low Jul 02 Apr 02 Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Jan 13 Dec 10 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013 2011 2013* Yes 48 48 46 46 44 63 44 No 48 47 49 49 52 31 52 DK/NA 4 5 5 4 4 6 4 
   
   40. Would you say that Barack Obama - has strong leadership qualities or not? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Yes 47% 21% 78% 41% 44% 50% 65% 53% 41% 38% No 51 77 21 57 54 48 32 47 56 59 DK/NA 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 - 2 2 
   
   TREND: Would you say that Barack Obama has strong leadership qualities or not? 
   
   YES........... High Low Jul 02 Apr 02 Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Jan 13 Jan 08 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013 2010 2014 Yes 47 49 49 46 47 66 46 No 51 48 48 51 51 32 51 DK/NA 2 3 3 3 2 2 3 
   
   41. Would you say that Barack Obama - cares about the needs and problems of people like you or not? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Yes 51% 19% 86% 47% 49% 53% 62% 56% 48% 47% No 47 79 12 51 49 45 36 42 51 51 DK/NA 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 
   
   TREND: Would you say that Barack Obama cares about the needs and problems of people like you or not? 
   
   YES........... High Low Jul 02 Apr 02 Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Nov 12 Dec 10 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013 2008 2013 Yes 51 51 51 50 48 70 48 No 47 45 46 48 49 22 49 DK/NA 2 3 3 2 3 7 3 
   
   42. In the Presidential election of 2012, if Mitt Romney had become President instead of Barack Obama, do you think that, in general, the nation would be better off than it is today or worse off than it is today? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Better off 45% 84% 10% 47% 48% 42% 35% 41% 49% 51% Worse off 38 5 74 33 36 40 44 43 35 35 SAME (VOL) 10 4 9 13 10 9 13 13 7 7 DK/NA 7 7 7 6 6 8 8 4 8 7 
   
   TREND: In the Presidential election of 2012, if Mitt Romney had become President instead of Barack Obama, do you think that, in general, the nation would be better off than it is today or worse off than it is today? (* election of 2008, if John McCain) 
   
   ROMNEY MCCAIN................ Jul 02 Jan 13 Jul 21 Jan 13 2014 2011* 2010* 2010* Better off 45 32 37 35 Worse off 38 41 35 37 SAME(VOL) 10 14 15 17 DK/NA 7 13 13 11 
   
   43. What do you think is the most important problem facing the country today? 
   
   Tot Economy and Jobs Total 35% Unemployment/Jobs 15 Economy general 14 Cost of living 2 Minimum wage too low 1 Business leaving/Outsourcing 1 Economy other 2 Politicians/Campaigns Total 12% Politicians/Campaigns genrl 3 Obama administration 2 Political corruption 2 Politicians leadership 1 Politicians/Campaigns other 4 Healthcare Costs/Ins/HMO's 6% Foreign Affairs/Policy Total 6% Foreign affairs/Policy gen 2 Priorities home, not abroad 1 Middle East 1 Military issues 1 Foreign Affairs/policy other 1 Budget Total 5% Budget deficits 2 Gov too big/Gov spending 1 Budget general 1 Budget other 1 Immigration 4% Education Total 4% Education general 2 Funding education 1 Education other 1 War total 3% War general 2 War/Iraq 1 Terrorism Total 3% Terrorism general 1 Security/Safety 1 Terrorism other 1 Lack of ethics/Morality 3% Environment/Pollution 2% Lack of religion 1% Class inequality 1% Crime/Violence 1% Family breakdown/Family values 1% Taxes 1% Energy crisis/Gas prices 1% Middle class/Working class 1% Poverty/Homeless 1% Other 5% DK/NA 4% 
   
   44. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - the economy? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Approve 40% 9% 76% 34% 37% 43% 40% 48% 37% 38% Disapprove 55 88 18 61 59 52 52 50 60 58 DK/NA 4 3 6 4 4 5 9 3 3 5 
   
   TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy? (* Low also 32% Sep 2011) 
   
   APPROVE....... High Low Jul 02 Apr 02 Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Mar 04 Oct 06 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013 2009 2011* Approve 40 40 39 39 37 57 32 Disapprove 55 55 56 58 59 33 64 DK/NA 4 4 5 4 4 10 4 
   
   45. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - foreign policy? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Approve 37% 9% 70% 31% 36% 39% 45% 40% 36% 32% Disapprove 57 86 23 63 60 54 45 55 60 61 DK/NA 6 5 7 6 4 8 10 5 4 7 
   
   TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling foreign policy? 
   
   APPROVE....... High Low Jul 02 Apr 02 Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Apr 29 Jul 02 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013 2009 2014 Approve 37 39 40 41 42 57 37 Disapprove 57 55 49 51 49 32 57 DK/NA 6 6 11 8 9 11 6 
   
   46. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - health care? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Approve 40% 7% 78% 32% 39% 40% 38% 45% 38% 39% Disapprove 58 92 20 64 58 57 61 52 60 56 DK/NA 3 1 2 4 3 2 1 3 2 5 
   
   TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling health care? 
   
   APPROVE....... High Low Jul 02 Apr 02 Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Jul 02 Dec 10 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013 2009 2013 Approve 40 39 36 35 34 46 34 Disapprove 58 58 59 61 62 42 62 DK/NA 3 3 5 4 4 13 4 
   
   47. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - the environment? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Approve 50% 27% 80% 45% 49% 52% 68% 57% 42% 42% Disapprove 40 60 14 44 44 37 24 34 49 47 DK/NA 10 13 6 11 8 12 9 10 9 11 
   
   48. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - terrorism? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Approve 44% 17% 77% 38% 42% 46% 55% 47% 42% 38% Disapprove 51 78 18 56 54 47 43 46 54 55 DK/NA 5 5 5 6 3 7 2 8 4 7 
   
   TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling terrorism? 
   
   APPROVE....... High Low Jul 02 Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Nov 12 May 05 Jul 02 2014 2014 2014 2013 2013 2011 2014 Approve 44 48 52 50 52 67 44 Disapprove 51 41 41 41 42 27 51 DK/NA 5 10 6 8 6 7 5 
   
   52. Would you describe the state of the nation's economy these days as excellent, good, not so good, or poor? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Excellent 1% 1% 1% - 1% - 1% 1% - 1% Good 22 11 34 22 23 21 25 20 22 24 Not so good 43 41 50 39 41 45 41 50 40 40 Poor 34 47 15 39 35 33 32 30 38 35 DK/NA - - 1 1 - - 1 - - 1 
   
   TREND: Would you describe the state of the nation's economy these days as excellent, good, not so good, or poor? 
   
   EXLNT+GOOD.... High Low Jul 02 Apr 02 Jan 22 Dec 10 Nov 12 Dec 10 Mar 04 2014 2014 2014 2013 2013 2003 2009 Excellent 1 - 1 - 1 3 - Good 22 26 21 20 21 37 3 Not so good 43 44 44 44 41 42 28 Poor 34 30 33 36 36 16 68 DK/NA - - 1 1 1 1 - 
   
   53. Do you think the nation's economy is getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Better 26% 10% 47% 20% 28% 24% 29% 30% 23% 23% Worse 31 43 12 35 29 32 28 24 36 34 The same 43 46 40 43 41 44 43 45 41 42 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 - - 1 
   
   TREND: Do you think the nation's economy is getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same? (* Low also 11% Sep 2011) 
   
   BETTER........ High Low Jul 02 Apr 02 Jan 22 Dec 10 Nov 12 Jan 18 Oct 06 2014 2014 2014 2013 2013 2011 2011* Better 26 29 28 29 28 36 11 Worse 31 29 26 28 31 20 44 The same 43 42 44 42 40 43 44 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 
   
   54. Do you think Barack Obama has been better for the economy than George W. Bush, worse, or about the same as George W. Bush? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Better 37% 8% 74% 28% 35% 38% 43% 41% 34% 33% Worse 34 65 4 36 35 34 28 28 38 40 The same 27 26 20 34 29 26 27 30 25 25 DK/NA 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 
   
   55. Do you think that in general the Obama administration has been competent in running the government, or don't you think so? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Yes 44% 13% 80% 36% 38% 48% 50% 47% 41% 39% No 54 86 17 62 59 49 45 51 57 58 DK/NA 3 2 2 2 3 2 5 2 2 3 
   
   TREND: Do you think that in general the Obama administration has been competent in running the government, or don't you think so? 
   
   Jul 02 Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Nov 12 2014 2014 2014 2013 2013 Yes 44 42 43 40 43 No 54 53 55 56 53 DK/NA 3 5 2 3 3 
   
   56. Do you think President Barack Obama is paying enough attention to what his administration is doing, or don't you think so? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Yes 47% 23% 78% 37% 44% 49% 54% 54% 45% 35% No 48 72 19 57 52 45 39 43 50 57 DK/NA 5 5 3 5 4 6 7 3 4 8 
   
   TREND: Do you think President Barack Obama is paying enough attention to what his administration is doing, or don't you think so? 
   
   Jul 02 Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Nov 12 2014 2014 2014 2013 2013 Yes 47 45 45 41 43 No 48 47 50 52 51 DK/NA 5 8 6 6 6 
   
   57. Do you support or oppose the health care law passed by Barack Obama and Congress in 2010? 
   
   AGE IN YRS.............. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Support 43% 9% 83% 35% 43% 43% 46% 48% 41% 40% Oppose 55 90 15 62 56 54 51 51 58 56 DK/NA 2 1 2 3 2 3 2 1 2 4 
   
   TREND: Do you support or oppose the health care law passed by Barack Obama and Congress in 2010? ||||| A new poll from Quinnipiac University rumbled around the Internet on Wednesday morning, and with good reason. The University's description of the survey begins, "President Barack Obama is the worst president since World War II, 33 percent of American voters say." And then, for good measure, it continues, "America would be better off if Republican Mitt Romney had won the 2012 presidential election, 45 percent of voters say, while 38 percent say the country would be worse off." 
   
   One takeaway from that: Romney's support has slipped two points since the 2012 election, when he got 47 percent support. We're not trying to be flip about the poll, which is the latest in a long line showing that Americans are generally unhappy with the direction of the country. But as with so much else, the more interesting details lie underneath the exciting headlines. 
   
   We'll start with that "worst president" thing. Quinnipiac helpfully includes a similar question that it asked in July of 2006, when then-president George W. Bush's poll numbers were in the middle of their long slide downward. Here are the worst presidents since World War II as identified by American voters in 2006 and in 2014. 
   
   July 2006 July 2014 George W. Bush (34 percent) Richard Nixon (17 percent) Bill Clinton (16 percent) Jimmy Carter (13 percent) Barack Obama (33 percent) George W. Bush (28 percent) Richard Nixon (13 percent) Jimmy Carter (8 percent) 
   
   No one has benefited more from the Obama presidency, it seems, than Bill Clinton. Or perhaps, there's an element of partisanship at play. 
   
   Let's switch to the Mitt Romney number. This isn't new; a Post poll found the same thing last year. What jumped out at us in the new data, though, is what happens when you consider the age of the respondents. Here's how people answered Quinnipiac's question about if the country would be better or worse off under Romney, by age group. (In each of the charts that follow, the blue bar is the response more favorable to Obama. So here, it indicates those who think the country would have been worse off under Romney. Gray bars are usually "other;" on this one, they're "the country would be the same.") 
   
   People under 50 are more likely to think that the country is better off with President Obama -- but less strongly than those over 50. That chart, incidentally, looks something like this one, which is the exit poll data on the overall vote from the 2012 election. 
   
   You can see how the margin of support for Obama has eroded in each age group. The overall trend, however, is the same. Older voters like Obama less. 
   
   That pattern holds up on issue after issue. 
   
   And it holds up on the "who's the worst president" question, too. (On this one, the blue bars are Bush and the gray bars are Nixon.) 
   
   When asked to compare the last two presidents, the same. 
   
   On most of the issue questions, the same pattern holds, with some notable exceptions. On the environment, young people overwhelmingly approve of Obama. 
   
   But health care? 
   
   It's probably safe to assume that the erosion of Obama's poll numbers is related to the question above, or the number of people in his base that also disapprove of his handling of the economy. 
   
   That's what's a problem for Obama, not people thinking he's the worst president or wishing they'd elected Mitt Romney. Speaking of, Quinnipiac has another bit of historical data in its overview of this poll. In July 2010, the pollsters asked whether the country would have been better off under John McCain than Obama -- only 18 months into his first term. 
   
   A plurality said it would be.
target: – The public isn't just unhappy with President Obama, it has him pegged as the worst president of the modern era, according to a new Quinnipiac poll. Asked to pick the worst president since World War II, 33% said President Obama, pushing him ahead of George W. Bush, who got 28%. Ronald Reagan was deemed the best post-war president by 35%, followed by Bill Clinton (18%) and John F. Kennedy (15%). What's more, by a 45-38 margin, the public said it would have been better off electing Mitt Romney—mirroring this earlier poll. But Philip Bump at the Washington Post thinks that if you dive in, the poll reveals a more pressing concern for Obama. Look at the demographics, and you'll see that on almost every question—including the "worst president" ones—people under 50 still support Obama, while older people vehemently don't. There are two notable exceptions: Younger voters don't approve of Obama's handling of healthcare or the economy. "That's what's a problem for Obama, not people thinking he's the worst president or wishing they'd elected Mitt Romney."