Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the future but voters do not seem to be holding it against President Obama, who slightly expanded his lead over Mitt Romney this month, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans think the country is moving in the wrong direction, but Obama’s lead over Romney among registered voters was 49 percent to 42 percent, and in a reversal from July, voters thought Obama was stronger than Romney in dealing with jobs and the economy, and with tax issues.

READ ON: Obama’s lead over Romney grows despite voters’ pessimism

Photo credit: President Obama shakes hands with supporters in Oakland after arriving aboard Air Force One, July 23, 2012. REUTERS/Larry Downing