Although the struggling economy under President Barack Obama’s leadership will likely define the outcome of this year’s general election, more Americans continue to hold former President George W. Bush accountable for the nation’s economic problems, according to a new poll.

The poll, released by Gallup Thursday, showed that 68 percent of Americans place either a great deal or moderate amount of economic blame on Bush, whereas 52 percent blame Obama. Republicans more universally ascribe the bad economy to the incumbent president, with 83 percent holding Obama responsible and 49 percent attributing the same level of blame to Bush. An overwhelming 90 percent of Democrats still blame Bush for the nation’s economic problems, as opposed to only 19 percent who place blame on Obama, showing that Republicans are far more willing to hold Bush responsible than Democrats are willing to blame Obama.

The results of the survey come as Obama takes the stage in Ohio for a major economic speech, following a dismal May jobs report and repeated attacks from his Republican opponents for remarking that the private sector is “doing fine”. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has made the country’s ongoing economic woes under Obama’s stewardship the focal point of his campaign, while the Obama campaign has worked to attribute the slow recovery to the problems created by Obama’s predecessor and Congress’ unwillingness to act on any of the president’s proposals.

Still, the Gallup poll finds that Americans are generally negative about the direction in which the economy is headed, which will undoubtedly be a key factor at the polls in November.