Polls show boost for Obama following Bin Laden's death

May 4, 2011, 17:29 GMT

Washington - Polls taken since Osama bin Laden's death show US President Barack Obama has received a boost in his job approval rating, but it remains unclear how long that will last.

An average of national polls compiled by RealClearPolitcs.com showed Wednesday that Obama's approval rating improved to 50.6 per cent of those surveyed, up by three percentage points from the latest data compiled before Sunday's announcement that bin Laden had been killed.

A Washington Post/ABC News poll gave him a 9-point jump to 56 per cent from the previous survey in April. A Newsweek/Daily Beast poll was unchanged, showing Obama's approval rating stuck at 48 per cent.

With the election still 18 months away, it is difficult to measure whether the successful raid ordered by Obama in Pakistan will carry him to re-election.

Most political pundits believe that the political focus will still remain largely on the economy. If the economy has improved by November 2012, that, coupled with bin Laden's death, could make Obama difficult to defeat.

'The president's chances for re-election are most significantly impacted by the economy,' Glen Bolger, a Republican pollster told Fox News. 'So if the economy is seen as improving next year, he's going to be tough to beat. If it's still problematic, then he's going to be pretty vulnerable.'

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