WASHINGTON – Fewer Americans believe that President Barack Obama's stimulus package will restore the nation to economic health compared to two months ago but most still approve of the job the president is doing, according to a new poll published on Monday.

Obama is relying on public support to push his agenda to reform the health, finance and energy systems and he retains a strong 65 percent approval rating, according to the Washington Post-ABC News poll.

But the share of Americans who believe that his $787 billion economic stimulus package will restore the economy has slipped to 52 percent from 59 percent two month ago.

While support for Obama remains firm, only 36 percent

of respondents viewed the Republican Party favorably and only 22 percent identified themselves as Republicans.

Obama leads congressional Republicans by more than 20 points in public trust on dealing with health care, the deficit, terrorism and the economy, the survey found.

The poll surveyed 1,001 Americans contacted Thursday through Sunday and had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

(Reporting by Patrick Rucker; Editing by Alan Elsner)

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