Americans have grown more optimistic about the economy and the direction of the country in the 11 weeks since President Barack Obama was inaugurated, suggesting that he is enjoying some success in his critical task of rebuilding the nation’s confidence, a new poll shows.

Sometimes turbulent weeks marked by new initiatives by Obama, attacks by Republicans and more than a few missteps by the White House do not appear to have hurt the president, New York Times said, releasing the results of poll.

The poll conducted for the Times and NBC News shows that Americans approve of Obama's handling of the economy, foreign policy, Iraq and Afghanistan; Two-thirds of respondents said they approved of his overall job performance.

By contrast, just 31 per cent of respondents said they had a favourable view of the Republican Party, the lowest in the 25 years the question has been asked in New York Times/CBS News polls.

Stating that it is not unusual for new presidents to enjoy a period of public support, the Times said still, the durability of Obama’s support contrasts with that of some of his predecessors at the same point in their terms.

It is also striking at a time when anxiety has gripped households across the country and Obama has alternately sought to rally Americans¿ spirits and warn against economic collapse as he seeks Congressional support for his programmes, the paper added.

The poll found that 70 per cent of respondents were very or somewhat concerned that someone in their household would be out of work and looking for a job in the next 12 months. Forty per cent said they had cut spending on luxuries, 10 per cent said they had cut back on necessities while 31 per cent said they had cut both.

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