Barack Obama
Barack ObamaIsrael News Photo

After 100 days in office, U.S. President Barack Obama enjoys high support among both Jews and Muslims, according to a new poll by the Gallup agency. Only Republicans and conservatives did not approve of Obama’s performance.

Among religious groups, Muslims had the highest performance rating for Obama at 85 percent. Jews trailed only slightly behind at 79 percent, about the same amount who voted for Obama in the January elections. The nonreligious came next, with 73 percent approving of Obama’s performance. Mormons approved of Obama the least, with 45 percent voicing their approval and 40 percent not.

Among Jews, the results of the survey depended on political orientation. 96 percent of Jews who defined themselves as politically liberal and 77 percent of politically moderate Jews approved of Obama. On the other hand, among conservative Jews, support was equally divided, with 45 percent giving Obama a positive rating and 45 percent giving him a negative one. Only 20 percent of U.S. Jews consider themselves conservative, however.

Obama’s overall approval rating was 65 percent. Support for the U.S. President broke across many cross-sections of the population, with only Republicans and conservatives voicing disapproval. With regard to race, 96 percent of Blacks approved of Obama’s performance as did 85 percent of Hispanics and 57 percent of Whites.

While Obama maintained steady support of between 61-67 percent during his first 100 days in office, his performance was only average by historical standards. Harry Truman enjoyed a whopping 87 percent approval rating in his first quarter in office, while John Kennedy had a 74 percent approval rating. Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, enjoyed a 58 percent approval rating in his first quarter as President.