Half of Americans disapprove of how Obama handles terrorism

Slide in president's approval ratings on terrorism comes as White House ramps up its fight against the Islamic State

WASHINGTON: For the first time since President Barack Obama took office, more Americans disapprove than approve his handling of terror threats, The New York Times reported Thursday, citing a new poll.

The slide in the president's approval ratings on terrorism comes as the White House ramps up its fight against the Islamic State group that recently beheaded three Westerners, including two US journalists.

The New York Times-CBS poll found that 50 per cent hold a negative view of how Obama is generally dealing with terrorism, while only 41 percent approve.

The poll also found that 55 per cent do not believe Obama has a clear plan for dealing with the IS militants and 57 per cent say he is not being tough enough on the group.

Forty-eight percent disapprove of how Obama is handling the IS situation, compared to 39 who approve.

While 69 per cent are in favour of anti-IS US airstrikes in Syria, 55 per cent oppose sending ground troops to that country or to neighbouring Iraq to target the extremists.

The survey results were released as Obama and lawmakers ratcheted up the pressure on the Islamic State Wednesday, with the president declaring there was no hiding place for the jihadists. "Our reach is long," he warned.

According to The Times, the finding that 50 per cent disapprove of how Obama is handling terrorism represents a 12-point increase from March.

"The findings represent the first time since he became president that more Americans rate Obama negatively on terrorism than they do positively," The Times reported.

Overall, 58 per cent of Americans now hold a negative view of Obama's overall handling of foreign policy, compared to 34 who view it positively.

According to the poll, 33 per cent think the Obama administration's policies have made the country less safe.

The survey also showed deep dissatisfaction with Congress, with 70 per cent disapproving of the performance of Republicans and 61 per cent unhappy with how Democrats are handling their jobs.

The poll involved 1,009 adults and was carried out by phone from September 12 through September 15. It had a margin of error of error of plus or minus three percentage points.