Poll: Some still question Obama's birthplace

WASHINGTON — President Obama released his long-form birth certificate last month, confirming he was born in Hawaii, but that hasn't settled the question of his birthplace for some Americans.

A copy of the long form version of President Barack Obama's birth certificate from Hawaii.

In a Gallup Poll taken May 5-8, 47% of those surveyed — less than a majority — say they believe the president was "definitely" born in the United States. Another 18% say he "probably" was born here.

But a third of Americans remain skeptical or unsure: 8% say he probably was born elsewhere, 5% say he definitely was, and 20% say they don't know enough to say.

The poll of 1,018 adults, taken by landline and cellphone, has a margin of error of +/-4 percentage points.

Ten percent of Republicans continue to say Obama was definitely born elsewhere, compared with 5% of independents and 2% of Democrats. Southerners and those with lower levels of income and education are most likely to doubt that Obama was born in the USA.

That uncertainty and disbelief is likely to continue until most Republican leaders and candidates publicly affirm that they believe the issue has been settled, says Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin: "Partisans are rarely convinced by partisans on the opposite side."

The findings also reflect a deterioration in faith in "the traditional gatekeepers of truth," including the news media and senior political leaders, he says. "There's a problem in what do you believe when everything is contested so vigorously by both sides."

Obama decried the controversy as "silly" and a diversion from serious issues when he acceded to demands to release the longer form of his birth certificate, a step that required a waiver from the state. He had released the standard, shorter version during the 2008 campaign.

Real estate mogul Donald Trump, who is considering a bid for the Republican presidential nomination, had been raising questions about Obama's birthplace.

Since the release of the birth certificate, news coverage of the issue has ebbed and the number of Americans who accept Obama as native-born has risen. In a Gallup Poll taken April 20-23, only 38% said they thought Obama was "definitely" born in this country; that number has risen by 9 points.

In the earlier poll, 24% said Obama definitely or probably was born elsewhere; that has fallen almost by half, to 13%.

Among those who disapprove of the job Obama is doing as president, 11% say he was definitely born abroad. Among those who approve of the job he's doing, just 1% feel that way.

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