George W. Bush's overall job approval rating has returned to its lowest point in Bush's presidency as Americans again turn less optimistic about the national economy according to the latest survey from the American Research Group. Among all Americans, 36% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 58% disapprove. When it comes to Bush's handling of the economy, 34% approve and 60% disapprove.

Among Americans registered to vote, 37% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 58% disapprove. When it comes to the way Bush is handling the economy, 35% of registered voters approve of the way Bush is handling the economy and 60% disapprove.

A total of 14% of Americans say the national economy is getting better, which is down from 30% in December and 52% say the national economy is getting worse, which is up from 40% in December. When asked about the national economy a year from now, 15% say it will be better, which is down from 28% in December, and 62% say it will be worse, which is up from 39% in December.

The results presented here are based on 1,100 completed telephone interviews conducted among a nationwide random sample of adults 18 years and older. The interviews were completed January 19 through 22, 2006. The theoretical margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points, 95% of the time, on questions where opinion is evenly split.

Overall, 36% of Americans say that they approve of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president, 58% disapprove, and 6% are undecided.

Among Republicans (33% of adults registered to vote in the survey), 78% approve of the way Bush is handling his job and 17% disapprove. Among Democrats (37% of adults registered to vote in the survey), 11% approve and 83% disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job. Among Independents (30% of adults registered to vote in the survey), 24% approve and 71% disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job as president.

Overall, 34% of Americans say that they approve of the way George W. Bush is handling the economy, 60% disapprove, and 6% are undecided. Among registered voters, 35% approve and 60% disapprove of the way Bush is handling the economy.

Among Republicans, 73% approve of the way Bush is handling the economy and 22% disapprove. Among Democrats, 84% disapprove of the way Bush is handling the economy and 11% approve. Among Independents, 22% approve and 73% disapprove of the way Bush is handling the economy.

A total of 14% of Americans say that the national economy is getting better, 31% say it is staying the same, and 52% say the national economy is getting worse.

Among those saying they approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 30% say getting better, 56% say staying the same, and 11% say getting worse. Of those saying they disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job, 78% say getting worse, 4% say getting better, and 15% say staying the same.

A total of 15% of Americans say they believe the national economy will be better a year from now, 19% say it will be the same, 62% say it will be worse, and 4% are undecided.

Among those saying they approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 33% say better, 37% say the same as today, and 26% say worse. Among those saying they disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job as president, 4% say better, 7% say the same, and 85% say worse.

Overall, 29% of Americans say they believe that the national economy is in a recession and 57% say they do not believe the economy is in a recession.

Among those saying they approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 3% say the national economy is in a recession and 83% say is it not in a recession. Of those saying they disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job, 44% say the national economy is in a recession and 42% say the national economy is not in a recession.

A total of 43% of Americans rate the national economy as excellent, very good, or good and 55% rate it as bad, very bad, or terrible.

Among those saying they approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 81% say excellent, very good, or good and 17% say bad, very bad, or terrible. Among those saying they disapprove of  the way Bush is handling his job, 78% say bad, very bad, or terrible and 19% say excellent, very good, or good.

When it comes to rating their household financial situations, 55% of Americans give an excellent, very good, or good rating and 43% give a bad, very bad, or terrible rating.

Among those saying they approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 85% say excellent, very good, or good and 13% say bad, very bad, or terrible. Among those saying they disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job, 60% say bad, very bad, or terrible and 38% say excellent, very good, or good.

A total of 17% of Americans say they think the financial situations in their households are getting better, 30% say staying the same, and 51% say getting worse.

Among those saying they approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 41% say getting better, 36% say staying the same, and 21% say getting worse. Among those saying they disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job, 3% say getting better, 25% say staying the same, 70% say getting worse.

Looking to a year from now, 14% of Americans say that they think their household financial situations will be better than today, 55% say the same as today, and 29% say worse than today.

Among those saying they approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 26% say better than today, 62% say the same as today, and 10% say worse than today. Among those saying they disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job, 7% say better than today, 49% say the same as today, and 42% say worse than today.

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