By JENNIFER EPSTEIN | 2/9/11 11:44 AM EST

Americans approve of President Barack Obama in slightly greater numbers than they did a month ago, one new poll has found.

Obama’s approval rating in a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday is at 51 percent, 1 percentage point higher than it was a month ago, and well within the poll’s margin of error. Meanwhile, his disapproval rate fell by 1 percentage point, from 47 percent in January to 46 percent.

Even if the small shifts are a fluke, the Reuters poll has shown steady improvement for the president in recent months. In October, his approval rating was at a low of 43 percent.

Those polled also expressed slightly more optimism than those surveyed in January, with 38 percent saying they think the country is headed in the right direction and 57 percent saying it’s headed in the wrong direction. Last month, 36 percent said the country was on the right track and 59 percent said it was on the wrong track.

The poll surveyed 1,112 adults — 844 of whom were registered voters — Feb. 4-7. The error margin is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

But even as overall numbers stay strong, a Gallup Poll also released Wednesday finds the president struggling to get support for some of his policies.



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