Obama's approval rating at three-year high: Gallup

At highest rating of 56% in the rolling survey since October 2009

US President Barack Obama's approval rating post-election has soared to 56%, and is now at its highest rating in the rolling survey since October 2009, according to the latest Gallup poll.

"The 56% [approval rating] average is for Monday through Wednesday, December 17-19. Obama's job approval had reached 54% during the week prior to the Newtown shootings, but had dropped to 51% from December 11-13, the three days just prior to December 14," Gallup said.

According to Gallup, timing of the increase in Obama's ratings could reflect a broad-based public reaction to the Newtown shootings, similar to the "rally around the flag" effect often seen at the start of wars and other threats to national security, in which Americans rally behind their leader.

It could also reflect the impact of the President's specific actions after the tragedy, including his attendance and speech at a Newtown prayer service Sunday night, and his appointment on Wednesday of a national task force to recommend steps that can be taken to reduce gun violence in the future, it said.

"The President is also in the middle of continuing negotiations with Speaker of the House John Boehner over a solution to the looming "fiscal cliff" crisis. Gallup polls find that the president gets significantly higher approval ratings on his handling of the fiscal cliff than does Speaker Boehner," Gallup said.

"In the current three-day average of Obama's job approval rating, 91% of Democrats approve, along with 54% of independents and 16% of Republicans. The approval rating among Democrats is unchanged from last week, while the approval ratings among independents and Republicans are both up significantly, from 47% and 9%, respectively," it said.