Poll Tracker

As he struggles to pull off an overhaul of the nation’s health care system and right the economy, the news is bad and could get worse for President Obama, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll showing that confidence in his leadership has dropped significantly since April.

The Post-ABC telephone survey of 1,001 adults nationwide found that only 49 percent of Americans now believe Obama can make the right decisions for the country, compared to 60 percent at the 100-day mark of his administration back in April.

At the same time, confidence in his ability to make changes for the better has dropped from 69 percent at the start of his presidency to 49 percent today, an indication that the intense opposition to health care reform is beginning to take its toll on Obama’s efforts.

Overall, however, Obama still has a 57 percent job approval rating in the survey conducted Aug. 13-17, even though it found that 55 percent of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track — a change from 48 percent in April when Obama’s job approval stood at 69 percent.