A poll on Sunday showed GOP challenger Mitt Romney edging out US President Barack Obama by 2-1 when it comes to managing the economy, reducing the federal deficit and creating jobs.
A national Gallup poll sponsored by US Today showed Romney ahead of Obama by 63%-29% despite concerted attacks by the Obama campaign in recent weeks cating Romney as a heartless venture capitalist and out-of-touch rich man.
Those surveyed instead said Romney's background in business, including his tenure at the private equity firm Bain Capital, would lead him to make good decisions, not bad ones, in dealing with the nation's economic problems over the next four years.
The findings raise questions about Obama's strategy of targeting Bain's record in outsourcing jobs, and hammering Romney for refusing to commit to releasing more than two years of his tax returns.
Instead, Americans seem focused on the economy, where disappointment with the fragile recovery and the 8.2% unemployment rate are hurting the president's approval rating.
Romney has scored points by fording an image of being able to "get things done," igniting a more energized Republican base, and trends among American voters indicating skepticism over Obama's vision of government.
Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are much more enthusiastic about the election by a whopping factor of 18 points, or 51%-33%.
Contrarily, Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents by four points say they are less enthusiastic than usual, 43%-39%.
Of additional concern for Obama is that a record number of Americans express skepticism about the activist role of government Obama espouses.
61% of those polled say the government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses, which marks the highest number since Gallup began asking the question in 1992.
However, Obama retains his own 2-1 lead in terms of likeability. Twice as many respondents say the president better understands the problems Americans face in their daily lives. Obama also has an eight-point advantage in terms of public trust.
The poll of 1,030 adults Thursday through Sunday has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points. It is the second major poll in as many weeks showing Romney ahead in terms of the economy.
A separete Gallup tracking poll showed Obama at 46% and Romney at 45%.