In a survey released today by Quinnipiac University, results show a drop in President Obama‘s approval ratings as well as a desire for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the recent IRS scandal involving targeting of Tea Party groups. Registered voters favored a special prosecutor by 76 percent. 63 percent of Democrats also supported the move.

“There is overwhelming bipartisan support for an independent investigation into the IRS,” Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac polling institute, said in a news release.

Earlier this month, the IRS disclosed the fact that it used increased scrutiny when evaluating groups with “tea party” or “patriot” in their names before deciding whether to grant tax-exempt status to the organizations. The Quinnipiac poll also indicated that voters, by 44 percent to 33 percent, felt the concerns raised by lawmakers were legitimate. Voters felt differently about Benghazi, with 43 percent of voters dismissing the concerns as “just politics”.

Regarding the seizure of journalists’ records, 37 percent of voters felt that the move was “legitimate.” Not surprisingly, an overwhelming 73 percent of voters surveyed felt the top priority should be the economy and unemployment. The overall impact of these scandals have negatively impacted Obama’s approval rating, with the latest survey reflecting that fact as 49 percent of Americans disapprove of his performance. This contrasts a recent ABC News/Washington Post survey, which indicated a 51 percent approval rating for the President.

The Quinnipiac poll surveyed 1,419 registered voters, was taken May 22-28, and has a margin of error plus or minus 2.6 percentage points. Of those surveyed, 27 percent identified as Republican, 33 percent as Democrat, 33 percent as Independent, and 7 percent as Other/DK/NA.