Poll Tracker

Sixty-two percent believe Obama will be an outstanding or above-average President, 25 percent say he will be average and 11 percent say he will be below average or poor. Obama himself fares better than his cabinet-level appointees. Forty-five percent say they are outstanding or above average and 38 percent say they are average.

Looking at the roster of recent Presidents, the only two rated outstanding and above average were Ronald Reagan (64 percent) and Bill Clinton (50 percent). Bush beat out Richard Nixon as below average or poor with 59 percent saying that about Bush and 48 percent saying it of Nixon.

As in the USA Today/Gallup poll, an Associated Press-GfK survey conducted Jan. 9-14 said sixty five percent of Americans expect Obama to turn out to be an outstanding or above average president. Forty-one percent say Bush will go down in history as a poor president and another 20 percent rating him below average.

Obama's favorable to unfavorable ratio in the USA Today/Gallup poll is 78 percent to 18 percent, a 19 point net positive swing since November. Bush, as he leaves office, is viewed unfavorably by 59 percent and favorably by 40 percent. At one point after 9/11, Bush's favorable numbers were as high as 87 percent, although within a few months, that feel back to the 60s. Americans see Obama as a "uniter" and not a "divider" by 80 percent to 16 percent, while 54 percent see Bush as a divider and 41 percent consider him a uniter.

When it comes to the promises Americans think it is most important for Obama to keep, the top ones are ensuring all children have health coverage (73 percent), doubling the production of alternative energy (70 percent), reducing health care costs for the typical family by up to $2,500 a year (70 percent), enacting a major public works program (60 percent), cutting federal taxes for 95 percent of working families (57 percent) and withdrawing most combat troops from Iraq within 16 months (51 percent).

What do Americans believe Obama is most likely to accomplish on that list? Eighty percent believe he will make good on the big public works program, 68 percent say he will increase American military strength in Iraq, 62 percent say he will achieve health care coverage for all children and 61 percent say he will lift restrictions on government funding of embryonic stem cell research. Americans have least confidence (54 percent and 53 percent respectively), that he will withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq on his promised timetable and cut income taxes.

When it comes to specific issues:

• Seventy-three percent are very or somewhat confident Obama will be able to handle an international crisis.

• Seventy-one percent say he will use military force wisely.

• Three-quarters say they are confident he will defend U.S. interests abroad.

• Just about three-quarter believe he will prevent major scandals in his administration.

• Eighty-nine percent are very or somewhat confident he will work effectively with Congress to get things done.

In the AP-GfK poll, only three percent of Americans think Obama will be able to keep all his promises, 32 percent say he will keep most of them and 47 percent say some of them. Seventy-two percent say it will take Obama longer than a year for the Obama administration to produce noticeable results on improving the economy.

This poll also reflects the high expectations Americans are setting for Obama. Asked to predict those issues on where it is very or somewhat likely Obama will have success, 74 percent name stabilizing the nation's financial institutions, 80 percent say improving the economy, 83 percent say creating jobs, 63 percent say implementing a national health plan, 83 percent say removing most troops from Iraq, 80 percent say protecting the environment, 71 percent say increasing American's energy independence, 60 percent say cutting personal tax rates, and 67 percent say closing Guantanamo.

The top priority? By far and away the economy (84 percent), and, after that, creating jobs (77 percent). Scoring below 50 percent were protecting the environment, cutting personal tax rates, closing the military prison at Guantanamo, eliminating previous tax cuts for wealthy couples, and improving race relations.