President Obama

President Barack Obama’s approval rating jumped 5 percentage points from November to December, fueled by dramatic gains among middle-class Americans, according to a CNN/ORC International poll released Tuesday.

Obama’s approval rating rose from 44% last month to 49% now, and the results suggest the debate over extending the payroll tax cuts in Congress is helping Obama’s efforts to portray himself as defender of the middle class. The poll was conducted from Friday through Sunday, while the Senate was passing the measure with bipartisan support and House Speaker John Boehner was giving it a dim outlook in his chamber.

Obama’s gains appear to have come at the expense of congressional Republicans and the GOP in general -- the party’s overall rating has dropped 6 points, to 43%, since June while Democrats’ rating has stayed at 55%.

And a majority now say they have more confidence in Obama than in Republicans in Congress -- last spring, only 44% felt that way.

Democrats do particularly well among middle-income Americans, while the Republicans win support only from the top end of the income scale.