U.S. President Barack Obama is seeing a jump in his approval ratings as a result of the death of Osama bin Laden in a secret U.S. military raid in Pakistan.
A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center and The Washington Post newspaper says 56 percent of Americans approve of the way Obama is doing his job, while 38 percent disapprove. Last month, approval of the president stood at 47 percent, with his disapproval rating at 45 percent.
Other polls this week show Obama's approval only jumping on issues related to Afghanistan and fighting terrorism. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey says 52 percent approve of how he is doing his job, up just one point from a poll conducted on Friday. Sixty-seven percent of Americans approve of the president's handling of terrorism-related issues, up seven points since January.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows four in 10 Americans say their opinion of the president's efforts to fight terrorism improved after bin Laden was killed early Monday in his Pakistan compound.
The increase in the president's approval rating is similar to that of George W. Bush after the U.S. military capture of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
The boost, however, does not translate to Americans' support of the president's handling of the struggling U.S. economy. The poll by the Pew Research Center andThe Washington Post shows Americans' approval of his performance on the economy is 40 percent, with 55 percent disapproving.
Pew and The Washington Post surveyed 654 American adults. It shows the U.S. military is receiving the most praise for killing bin Laden, with 86 percent saying that it should get most of the credit.
According to the survey, nearly three-quarters - 72 percent - of Americans feel relieved by bin Laden's death. Some 16 percent say they feel afraid, as U.S. and world leaders warn of possible retaliatory attacks.
The CNN poll shows nearly all Americans believe Bin Laden's death does not end threats from al-Qaida.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.
