Poll: High initial approval for Obama’s State of the Union address

President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address was well received by viewers according to a poll from CBS News. The online poll of 500 people conducted minutes after they watched the speech found that 91 percent approved of the president’s performance.

State of the Union addresses typically receive high marks from viewers, however Obama received a better grade than his first State of the Union last year, when 83 percent approved in CBS’ poll. The online survey for the 2011 speech had a +/- 4 percent margin of error.

Beyond the uptick of support in comparison to last year’s speech, the president’s standing on a host of issues was increased by his performance Tuesday night.

This year, 82 percent of those who watched the speech said they approve of the president’s plans for the economy, up from 53 percent who approved before the speech. Eighty percent said they approved of Mr. Obama’s plans for the deficit — in contrast to 45 percent before the speech. Eighty-three percent approved of Mr. Obama’s proposals regarding Afghanistan, which received only a 57 percent approval rating beforehand.