BP's image, which took an ugly beating after the Gulf oil spill, is recovering since the company sealed the well, though the oil giant's approval level is still anything but robust. A majority of Americans still aren't convinced it is safe to eat seafood from parts of the Gulf or swim in its waters, a new AP poll shows.
Politically, President Barack Obama's rating on handling the nation's worst oil spill has nudged up to about 50 percent, the poll indicated. Fewer people now think the spill is a major national issue, and more support increased drilling in U.S. coastal waters than oppose it.
“Normally, I would go to the casinos and eat seafood, but now I'm going to be kind of skeptical of eating,” said Samuel Washington, 44, who lives in Norfolk, Va., but also owns a home in Ocean Springs, Miss. “My biggest concern is whether or not they are really testing all the affected areas.”
Approval for Obama's handling of the mess has risen from 45 percent in June, while BP's marks have more than doubled from 15 percent to a still lackluster 33 percent. Some 66 percent of those surveyed continue to disapprove of BP's performance, down from a whopping 83 percent in June.
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Photo by Eliot Kamenitz, The Times-Picayune
