Confidence in Barack Obama sinks to new low as 60% of voters say they lack faith in President

 Nearly 60 per cent of Americans no longer have faith in President Barack Obama's decision making

But the Washington Post/ABC News poll found that his approval numbers are still higher than politicians in either major party four months ahead of congressional elections.

Asked how much confidence they have in Obama to make the right decisions for the U.S. future, 58 per cent of respondents said 'just some' or 'none'.

Sixty-eight per cent expressed the same sentiments about Democrats in Congress and 72 per cent said the same of Republicans.

The Washington Post said problems in the housing industry, sluggish job growth and other economic issues may have taken a toll on his approval rating.

Just 43 per cent of Americans, including a third of Democrats, now say they approve of the job Mr Obama is doing on the economy, while 54 per cent disapprove.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs in the November 2 elections, as well as 36 of the 100 Senate seats.

Democrats now control both houses of Congress, but a slight majority of those polled said they would prefer to have Republicans in control to serve as a check on Mr Obama's policies.

The poll of 1,288 people was conducted between July 7 and 11.