Obama gains edge as race nears finish line
Americans are becoming more optimistic about the direction of the country, giving a boost to President Barack Obama in the final stretch of the race for the White House, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Wednesday.
The telephone poll, conducted from September 7 to 10, showed 39% of Americans believed the country was moving in the right direction, while 55% believed it was on the wrong track.
In August, 31% of those surveyed thought the country was going in the right direction and 64% on the wrong track.
"It's good news for Obama, frankly. As that number begins to creep up, it's all good news for the party in power," said Ipsos pollster Julia Clark.
The poll was conducted by telephone with 1089 adults.
Asked whom they would vote for if the election were held today, 48% said they would vote for Obama and 45% said they would support Romney.
Recent polls have indicated that Obama left last week's Democratic National Convention with a small "bounce" after months of being a neck-and-neck race with Romney, a former Massachusetts governor.
The improved ratings could stem from a sense that Americans are feeling better about the US economic climate, Clark said.
However, government data on Friday last week showed that US employers added a less-than-expected 96000 jobs in August.
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