Amidst deepening economic crisis and continuing market meltdown, US President Barack Obama enjoys a high approval rating than his predecessors, a just released poll shows.

Obama's approval rating is about 10 percentage points higher than either George Bush or Bill Clinton had at this early stage of their presidencies. His rating of 63 per cent includes 89 per cent of Democrats and 44 per cent of Republicans.

Releasing the results of the New York Times/CBS News poll, the Time says with people expressing confidence in his leadership even if they do not understand his plans, Obama remains in a strong position to sell his plans.

But the poll also captured skepticism about the effectiveness of his plan as well as a strain of populism which could test his ability to retain public support for efforts to prop up key sectors of economy.

A majority believes that the struggling automotive companies should not receive further taxpayer money to help them survive. And while there is a strong belief that government should help homeowners avoid foreclosure, people are evenly divided over whether the plan announced last week is fair.