Washington, Dec.11 (ANI): US President Barack Obama’s job approval rating has regained some ground and now stands at 50 percent, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday.

However, forty-four percent of Americans currently disapprove of the job the president is doing.

On the issues, the president garners his best rating on Afghanistan, with 49 percent approving of his handling of the war, up from 41 percent in mid-October.

His approval is buoyed by Republicans, with 38 percent saying they approve, up from 20 percent in October, and from a 10 percentage point increase among independents (48 percent currently approve, up from 38 percent).

Among Democrats, 62 percent approve, down just one point from 63 percent two months ago.

Obama’s 49-percent approval rating on Afghanistan is somewhat better than the 45 percent approval he receives for handling the economy, and is significantly higher than the 39 percent approval rating on health care.

The top issues currently facing the country are crystal clear to Americans - improving the economy (27 percent) and creating jobs (26 percent). Despite the full-court press on health care by the president and lawmakers, and an international conference on climate change, far fewer Americans see those issues as the most pressing (10 percent and 2 percent respectively).

Iraq and Afghanistan (8 percent), the deficit (7 percent) and taxes (6 percent) also trail far behind the nation’s economy and the job situation as priorities to be addressed.

Opinion Dynamics Corp. conducted the national telephone poll for Fox News among 900 registered voters from December 8 to December 9. For the total sample, the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. (ANI)