Obama's favorability best in nearly two years: Gallup

Americans' favorable ratings of U.S. President Barack Obama now stand at 53 percent, which marks his highest score since September 2013, Gallup found in a poll released Thursday.

This comes after a year in which these ratings were mostly below the 50 percent level, according to the May 6-10 poll.

The recent increase in how Americans view Obama might be linked with his attempts to bridge various communities in recent months -- such as improving the relations between police and racial minorities, and restoring diplomatic ties with Cuba, Gallup found.

As he serves out his seventh year in office, Obama's favorability is higher than it was in his sixth year, when he received a record-low ratings after the 2014 midterm elections.

Excluding his first year, when his favorable ratings averaged 62 percent, Obama's favorability has been fairly steady -- as have his job approval ratings, according to Gallup.

Depending on how the final 20 months of his presidency go, Obama's relatively buoyant favorability might stand in stark contrast to that of his two predecessors -- President Bill Clinton, whose yearly averages peaked in his fifth year and dipped thereafter; and President George W. Bush, whose favorable ratings spiked early on in his presidency and descended rapidly in his second term, Gallup said.

The increase in Obama's favorability also comes as the U.S. jobless rate is declining. The unemployment now stands at 5.4 percent, a level not seen in several years. Still, a president's favorable ratings are distinct from approval of his performance, which tends to be lower, Gallup said. Endite