Sixty percent (60%) of voters nationwide believe that President Obama is at least as ethical as most politicians. That figure includes 34% who say the president is more ethical than his peers and 26% who say he is about as ethical as most.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 36% now view the president as less ethical than most politicians.

These figures reflect a decline for Obama. The 60% who view him as at least as ethical as his peers is down from 65% a month ago and 74% when he took office. The number who view him as less ethical has doubled from 18% in early January to 36% today.

This is also the first time that the number seeing the president as less ethical than most (36%) has topped the number who see him as more ethical (34%).

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Naturally, there is a strong partisan divide. Sixty-one percent (61%) of Democrats say the president is more ethical than most politicians while 58% of Republicans say he is less ethical.

As for those not affiliated with either party, the reviews are mixed. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say Obama is more ethical than most politicians while 37% say he is less ethical than his peers. Thirty-one percent (31%) see his ethical standards as close to the norm for politicians.

In terms of dealing with ethics and corruption issues, 42% now say the president is doing a good or excellent job while 38% say he is doing a poor job.

Government corruption and ethics issues consistently remain the second most important issue to voters, trailing only the economy. However, most unaffiliated voters don’t trust either major political party on the issue.

The decline in perceptions of the president’s ethical standards comes at a time when his overall ratings have fallen in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll. A review of the president’s ratings on a month-by-month basis clearly highlights the trend.

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