Gallup: Americans trust Obama more than Romney to do the right thing about the economy

THIS report from Gallup strikes me as counterintuitive (especially in light of other recent polls), but here it is:

Fifty percent of Americans say they have a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in President Obama to do or to recommend the right thing for the economy, more than say the same about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (42%)…

These findings are from Gallup’s annual Economy and Personal Finance survey, conducted April 9-12.

(Snip)

Not surprisingly, 86% of Democrats express confidence in Obama on the economy, while 17% of Republicans agree. Independents are split, with 47% expressing a great deal or fair amount of confidence and 52% saying they have only a little or almost no confidence in the president’s economic leadership. There is a seven-percentage-point gender gap, with 53% of women and 46% of men saying they have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in Obama.

Americans’ confidence in Romney on the economy also varies widely by party. Sixty-nine percent of Republicans express confidence, while 25% of Democrats and 35% of independents do so. Men (43%) and women (40%) are about equally confident in Romney’s economic leadership.