Americans are slightly more likely to want the Republican-led Congress to have more influence over the direction of the country than President Obama ahead of his final year in office.
Forty-six percent of U.S. adults, a plurality, believe that Republicans in Congress should set the course for the country in 2016, while 42 percent say that Obama should hold the most power over the country’s trajectory, according to a Gallup survey released Wednesday.
The poll was conducted in the days leading up to Obama’s final State of the Union address. It also preceded the Iranian military’s detention of two Navy boats and 10 American sailors in the Persian Gulf, an incident that has sparked criticism of the administration.
According to the data, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to name their political allies as the ones that should wield more influence. Particularly, 91 percent of Republicans want the GOP-controlled Congress to have more power over the country’s path, while 81 percent of Democrats say the same of Obama.
Americans identifying as independents show a slight preference toward Republican lawmakers, with 43 percent of independents saying Congress should set the course and 40 percent naming Obama.
The figures appear consistent with Obama’s overall job approval rating, which is currently tilted negative. A majority 54 percent of Americans disapprove of the way in which the president is handling his job, according to an NBC News/Survey Monkey poll released Tuesday ahead of the State of the Union. Forty-five percent approve.