Survey: President's 'report card' falls

On the eve of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, the results of a survey conducted for real estate search site Trulia reveal that 38 percent of respondents believe the president deserves a "D" or an "F" for his efforts in restoring homeownership as part of the American Dream.

More than half (62 percent) of the U.S. adults surveyed think the president should focus on creating jobs and job security in 2010, while 45 percent think he should focus on reducing foreclosures.

"Until there is a reversal in unemployment and the growing number of home foreclosures, the U.S. real estate market will continue to see significant volatility. I agree with the results of our survey -- that job creation and job security have to be the president's top priority, said Pete Flint, Trulia's CEO and co-founder, in a statement.

Market research firm Harris Interactive conducted the study online from Jan. 19-21. The firm interviewed 2,232 adults nationwide. Of those, 1,523 were homeowners and 614 were renters; 702 were Democrats and 601 were Republicans.

The vast majority of survey participants, 77 percent, also view homeownership as a part of their own personal American Dream, with little distinction in regards to gender, region or political affliation. Renters' and homeowners' views differed somewhat on the question, with 62 percent of the former vs. 85 percent of the latter answering yes.

"I am thrilled to see that the American Dream of homeownership is alive. If the dream had died, we would be in a lot of trouble," Flint said.

In answer to the question, "If you were a teacher grading Obama's performance of his first year in office, what grade would you give him with respect to restoring homeownership as part of the American Dream?" 11 percent of adults gave him an "A," 26 percent gave him a "B," 26 percent gave him a "C," 16 percent gave him a "D," and 22 percent gave him an "F." There was no more than a 5 percent difference in answers when comparing by region, gender, or owners vs. renters. ...CONTINUED

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