President Obama's Poll Numbers On The Rise

(Feb. 1) – After months of declining poll numbers, President Barack Obama's approval rating has begun rising again.

Two new polls, one by Rasmussen Reports and the other by Gallup, show a recent uptick of support for the president as he begins his second year in office.

In its daily tracking poll, Gallup finds that 50 percent of Americans approve of the way Obama is handling his job, while 44 percent say they disapprove. According to the polling organization, the rise in the approval number "follows 11 straight days of Gallup reporting in which Obama's approval rating was below the 50 percent mark."

Mandel Ngan, AFP/Getty Images

After months of declining approval ratings, President Obama has, for the moment, reversed the downward trend.

Rasmussen's daily tracking poll shows that the number of Americans who say they approve of the job the president is doing has risen by 4 points from a Jan. 22 low of 45 percent. Meanwhile, the number of those surveyed by Rasmussen who say they disapprove of Obama has fallen by 5 percentage points since Jan. 23. Overall, 49 percent of those surveyed by Rasmussen say they approve of the way Obama is doing his job, while 50 percent disapprove.

Two recent events – the State of the Union address and the president's question-and answer-session with the Republican caucus – may have provided Obama with a slight boost. It remains to be seen, however, whether the current reversal of poll number erosion will be sustained over the coming days and weeks.