Iowa voters want a new direction from next president

DES MOINES - President Barack Obama is underwater with Iowa voters who want the next president to change directions from the two-term Democrat's policies.

By 43 percent to 52 percent, Iowa voters disapprove of the way Obama is handling the job, according to Quinnipiac University's Swing State Poll.

In another finding, Quinnipiac reported two-thirds of Iowa voters surveyed believe children who do not receive standard vaccinations should not be allowed in schools or child care facilities.

Quinnipiac found voters in two other key swing states give Obama negative job approval ratings - 43 to 52 percent in Colorado and 44 to 53 percent in Virginia.

However, they don't oppose all of Obama's policies. They support, by 64 to 30 percent in Iowa, his proposal to increase taxes on higher income earners to reduce taxes on the middle class. By smaller margins, voters in each state oppose the president's proposal to provide free community college tuition. Iowans opposed the plan 55 to 40 percent.

'Events change and issues move on and off the front-burner, but President Barack Obama's job approval stays relatively the same - low,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac Poll. Obama's approval rating in the key states remains where it has been for the past few years - in the low 40 percent range.

Quinnipiac also found that by margins of 24 points or higher, voters say they want the next president to choose a new direction rather than follow Obama's policies.

The poll found that although voters in all three states say their state economy is excellent or good, and many say their personal financial situation is improving, more think Obama's policies have hurt rather than helped the economy, Brown said

'At this point the president is not getting much credit for the improving economy,” he said. 'Whether that desire for a new direction will hurt the eventual Democratic nominee in 2016, time will tell.”

The Iowa economy received high marks from those surveyed. Seventy-seven percent of Iowans surveyed were 'very satisfied” or 'somewhat satisfied” with the way things are going in the state, and 76 percent say the state's economy is 'excellent” or 'good.” One-third said the Iowa economy is getting better, 12 percent say it is getting worse and 53 percent say it's about the same. Forty-five percent said they are better off than they were a year ago.

Iowa voters by a 64 to 28 percent margin said children who do not receive standard vaccinations should not be allowed in schools or child care facilities. Women support such a ban 69 to 22 percent, while men support it 58 to 34 percent and parents of children younger than 18 support it 58 to 37 percent.

A total of 85 percent of Iowa voters are 'very worried” or 'somewhat worried” about the rise of Islamic extremism and 77 percent are 'very worried” or 'somewhat worried” about a terrorist attack in the U.S.

The federal government should investigate terrorist threats, even if it means intruding on personal privacy, Iowa voters say 59 to 31 percent.

From Feb. 5-15, Quinnipiac live interviewers called landlines and cellphones to survey 1,089 Iowa voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado and the nation as a public service and for research.