More than 8 in 10 Democrats but less than half of independents approve

President Barack Obama begins his second year as president with 50% of Americans approving and 44% disapproving of his overall job performance.

This is well below the 68% approval rating Obama received in his first few days as president, and matches his average for all of December — which included many days when public support for him fell slightly below that important symbolic threshold.

The latest job approval score is based on Gallup Daily tracking from Jan. 2-4, 2010 — the first Gallup Daily survey conducted entirely within the new year.

(Excerpt) Read more at gallup.com …