U.S. swing-state voters say they are not better off: poll

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- A majority of U.S. voters in important swing states say they are not better off than they were four years ago, according to poll results released on Monday, as Republican and Democratic parties are gearing up for their national conventions to nominate their presidential candidates.

According to a USA Today/Gallup Swing States poll, 56 percent of respondents in swing states said they were not better off than President Barack Obama first took office. That included 50 percent of independent voters in the swing states, in addition to 36 percent of Democrats and 84 percent of Republicans saying they are not better off. About 40 percent of voters in swing states say they are better off.

The question is relevant in 2012 as Obama seeks a second term as president with the economy still struggling to recover from the 2008-2009 recession. The fact that the majority of voters in the crucial states that will decide the election believe they are not better off is a challenge for the Obama campaign.

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