Optimism High About Obama Policies, Poll Finds

Obama and the incoming Democratic Congress enjoy more support from Republicans nationwide for a moratorium on home foreclosures. The president-elect has been sharply critical of the Treasury Department for not using more federal resources to assist homeowners struggling to make payments.

Ten percent of homeowners polled said they had fallen behind on mortgage payments at some point in the past year, and more than a third of all participants voiced concern about their ability to make mortgage or rent payments.

A majority of Republicans (52 percent) and Democrats (55 percent) want Obama to act immediately to institute a period during which banks cannot foreclose on delinquent mortgages.

One item on Obama's agenda that few said he needs to pursue in the short term is the shuttering of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Only among Democrats do a majority want him to attempt to close the facility, and even among them, more said he should do so later in his presidency.

In addition to sorting through a raft of popular proposals and navigating partisan minefields, Obama faces the challenge of high expectations.

Nearly seven in 10 are optimistic about Obama's overall policies, including substantial percentages of Republicans and those who backed GOP nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) in last month's election (45 and 39 percent, respectively).

More than two-thirds said they think Obama will be able to make significant improvements to the health-care system, and as many expect him to implement policies to reduce global warming -- which 75 percent said he should, including half of Republicans. Sixty-four percent of all those polled said Obama will be able to end U.S. involvement in Iraq.

Slightly fewer than half said they think Obama will be able to do a "great deal" or "good amount" to turn around the economy, but substantial proportions across party lines expect him to make an impact on economic problems that have been years in the making. More than half, 55 percent, think he is off to a good start dealing with the economy.

Overall, Obama's work on the transition gets high marks -- 76 percent approve of the way he is handling it. Among Republicans, he scores 59 percent positive, compared with 39 percent last month. GOP support for Clinton also increased between his election in 1992 and his inauguration, only to nose-dive early in his tenure.

The poll was conducted from Dec. 11 to 14 among a random national sample of 1,003 adults interviewed on residential telephones or on cellphones. The results from the full poll have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points; error margins for subgroups are higher.