Poll: Obama holds 17-point advantage over Romney on likability

President Obama continues to hold a commanding advantage over Republican challenger Mitt Romney in terms of personal likability, but Americans are skeptical that either man has a clear plan for solving the country's problems, according to a new poll by Gallup.

The polling firm asked Americans whether eight personal characteristics applied to each of the presidential candidates, and likability was the metric that Americans most associate with both Romney and Obama.

Yet more than eight in 10 of those surveyed said the president is likable, versus just 64 percent who said the same about Romney. The Republican challenger will likely need to chip away at some of that 17-point advantage to buoy his chances in the fall; the presidential candidate with the higher likability polling numbers has won every election since 1980.

For Romney, the No. 2 characteristic associated with his personality was a willingness to change his positions on issues for political reasons — a discouraging sign for a candidate looking to shed his "Etch A Sketch" caricature. But recent moves on gay marriage and immigration could have also hurt Obama on that metric — some six in 10 Americans also say Obama changes his positions for political reasons, nearly as many as Romney.

Americans are more likely to see the president as honest, trustworthy and understanding about the problems ordinary Americans face on a daily basis. And while more than half of Americans surveyed — 53 percent — say Obama shares their values, only 45 percent say the same of his Republican challenger. But Romney scores higher marks for being strong and decisive, and voters are more inclined to believe he can manage government effectively.

"Being able to manage government could be a particularly persuasive argument in an election year likely to be decided on economic issues. The downside for Romney is currently that is his only clear advantage over Obama in terms of personal qualities, so he would have little else to fall back on in that area," Gallup's Jeffrey M. Jones said in a press release.

But neither man ranks particularly well when voters were asked if he had a clear plan for solving the country's problems. Only four in 10 said that metric applied to Obama, good for a two-point advantage over Romney.

"Since neither candidate currently has an advantage in leadership, Romney's best argument for convincing voters to support him may be his ability to manage government," Jones said.

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