United States presidential approval rating: Difference between revisions

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			{{short description\|Historical approval ratings of the US president}}
	In the ], '''Presidential job approval ratings''' were introduced by ] in the late 1930s (probably 1937) to gauge public support for the President during his presidency. An approval rating is a percentage determined by a ] which indicates the percentage of respondents to an ] who approve of a particular person or program. Most often an approval rating is given to a ] based on responses to a poll in which a sample of people are asked whether they approve or disapprove of that particular political figure. A typical question might ask:
			{{use mdy dates\|date=April 2012}}
			{{use American English\|date=August 2020}}

			In the ], presidential job approval ratings were first conducted by ] (estimated to be 1937) to gauge public support for the ] during their term. An approval rating is a percentage determined by polling which indicates the percentage of respondents to an ] who approve of a particular person or program. Typically, an approval rating is given to a ] based on responses to a poll in which a sample of people are asked whether they approve or disapprove of that particular political figure. A question might ask: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way that the current president is handling their job as president?".<ref name="Donald Trump Gallup Polling Data">{{cite news \|url=https://gallup.com/poll/203198/presidential-approval-ratings-donald-trump.aspx \|title=Presidential Approval Ratings: Donald Trump \|newspaper=Gallup.com \|publisher=] \|date=November 16, 2016 \|access-date=2017-02-13}}</ref>
	:''"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President?"''<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/116479/Barack-Obama-Presidential-Job-Approval.aspx\|title=Presidential Approval Ratings – Barack Obama\|work=www.gallup.com\|accessdate=28 July 2009}}</ref>

	Like most surveys that ~~predict~~ ~~public opinion~~, ~~the~~ ~~approval~~ ~~rating~~ is ~~subjective~~. Many unscientific approval rating systems exist that ~~skew~~ ~~popular~~ ~~opinion~~. ~~However~~, the approval rating is generally accepted as ~~the~~ ~~general~~ ~~opinion~~ of the ~~people~~.		Like most surveys that measure opinions, individual poll results may be inaccurate. Many unscientific approval rating systems exist that show inaccurate statistics. Examples that self select, such as online questions are of this type; however, the ] approval rating is generally accepted by statisticians as a statistically valid indicator of the comparative changes in the popular United States mood regarding a president.

			] registered a 90% job approval rating (the highest in Gallup's tracking) ] the ] on September 11, 2001.<ref>Jones, J. (2022). Who had the highest Gallup presidential job approval rating? Gallup. Retrieved from </ref> ] registered a 22% job approval rating (the lowest in Gallup's tracking) in a survey conducted February 9–14, 1952.<ref>Jones, J. (2022). Who had the lowest Gallup presidential job approval rating? Gallup. Retrieved from </ref>
	== Current President Barack Obama ==

			== Historical comparison ==
	{\| class="wikitable" border="1"
			{\|class="wikitable sortable"
	\|-		\|-
			\|+ Historical Gallup Poll approval highs and lows for each president since 1937<ref name=AveragePolling>{{cite web\|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/116677/Presidential-Approval-Ratings-Gallup-Historical-Statistics-Trends.aspx\|title=Presidential Approval Ratings – Gallup Historical Statistics and Trends\|work=Gallup\|date=March 12, 2008\|access-date=August 16, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Lydia Saad">{{cite web\|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/207518/trump-approval-rating-unusually-low-unusually-early.aspx?g_source=Politics&g_medium=newsfeed&g_campaign=tiles\|title=Trump's Approval Rating Unusually Low, Unusually Early\|work=Gallup\|date=March 29, 2017\|access-date=April 1, 2017\|author=Lydia Saad}}</ref><ref name="The American Presidency Project"> at UC Santa Barbara.</ref>{{efn\|Only the results of Gallup polls are included as no other poll results exist for presidents before President Clinton.}}
	\| colspan="5" \| '''Polling group's most recent poll for the President ]:'''
	\|-		\|-
			!Order
	! Polling Group (''Reverse Chronologically'')
			!President
	! Date
			!Highest approval
	! Approval
			!Lowest approval
	! Disapproval
			!High –<br />Low
	! Other
			!Highest disapproval
			!Lowest disapproval
			!Highest margin
			!data-sort-type="number"\|Lowest margin
			!Final poll
			!Approval<br />average<ref name="AveragePolling"/>
			!Polls<br />per year
	\|-		\|-
			\|'''46'''<ref name="BidenGallup">{{Cite web \|title=Gallup Daily: Biden Job Approval \|url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/329384/presidential-approval-ratings-joe-biden.aspx \|access-date=2022-07-31 \|website=Gallup.com \|date=February 5, 2021 \|language=en}}</ref>
	\| '''USA Today/Gallup'''<ref name="GallupCurrent"/>
			\|]
	\|7/26-28/2009
			\|'''57''' <small>(2021-02-02, 2021-04-21)</small><ref>{{Cite web\|date=2021-04-23\|title=Biden Job Approval a Respectable 57% at 100 Days\|url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/348974/biden-job-approval-respectable-100-days.aspx\|access-date=2021-10-01\|website=Gallup\|language=en}}</ref>
	\| 53%
			\|'''36''' <small>(2024-07-21)</small>
	\| 39%
			\|'''21'''
	\| 8%
			\|'''59''' <small>(2022-07-26, 2023-04-25, 2023-10-23, 2023-11-21, 2023-12-20, 2024-02-20)</small>
			\|'''37''' <small>(2021-02-02)</small>
			\|'''20''' <small>(2021-02-02)</small>
			\|'''−22'''<small> (2023-04-25, 2023-10-23, 2023-11-21, 2024-07-21)</small>
			\|'''TBD'''
			\|'''42'''
			\|TBD
	\|-		\|-
			\|'''45'''<ref name="galweek3day">{{cite news\|url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/203198/presidential-approval-ratings-donald-trump.aspx\|title=Gallup Daily: Trump Job Approval\|work=Gallup\|access-date=January 27, 2017}}</ref>
	\| '''FOX News/Opinion Dynamics'''<ref name="PollingReport-Obama"/>
			\|]
	\|7/21-22/2009
			\|'''49''' <small>(2020-01-29, 2020-02-16, 2020-03-22, 2020-04-28, 2020-05-13)</small>
	\| 54%
			\|'''34''' <small>(2021-01-15)</small>
	\| 38%
			\|'''15'''
	\| 8%
			\|'''62''' <small>(2021-01-15)</small>
			\|'''45''' <small>(2017-01-22, 2020-03-22)</small><ref>Saad, Lydia (January 23, 2017). . '']''.</ref>
			\|'''4''' <small>(2020-03-22)</small>
			\|'''−28''' <small> (2021-01-15)</small>
			\|'''34''' <small> (2021-01-15)</small>
			\|'''41'''
			\|40
	\|-		\|-
			\|'''44'''<ref>{{Cite web \|last= \|first= \|title=Gallup Daily: Obama Job Approval \|url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/113980/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Job-Approval.aspx \|access-date=2022-06-17 \|website=Gallup.com \|date=January 12, 2017 \|language=en}}</ref>
	\| '''ABCNews/Washington Post'''<ref name=pollingdata-bush43>{{cite web\|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/interactives/obama/approval/index.html\|title=President Obama's Approval Ratings (washingtonpost.com)\|work=www.washingtonpost.com\|accessdate=28 July 2009}}</ref>
			\|]
	\| 7/15-18/2009
			\|'''69''' <small>(2009-01-24)</small>
	\| 59%
			\|'''38''' <small>(2014-09-05)</small>
	\| 37%
			\|'''31'''
	\| 4%
			\|'''57''' <small>(2014-10-10)</small>
			\|'''12''' <small>(2009-01-23)</small>
			\|'''56''' <small>(2009-01-23, 2009-01-24)</small>
			\|'''−18''' <small>(2014-10-10)</small>
			\|'''59''' <small>(2017-01-19)</small>
			\|'''48'''
			\|48.4
	\|-		\|-
			\|'''43'''<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/116500/Presidential-Approval-Ratings-George-Bush.aspx \|title=Presidential Approval Ratings -- George Bush\|newspaper=Gallup.com \|date=January 20, 2008 \|publisher=Gallup\|access-date=August 16, 2011}}</ref>
	\| '''CBS News/New York Times'''<ref name="PollingReport-Obama"/>
			\|]
	\| 7/9-12/2009
			\|'''90''' <small>(2001-09-22)</small>
	\| 57%
			\|'''25''' <small>(2008-10-05, 2008-10-12, 2008-11-02)</small>
	\| 32%
			\|'''65'''
	\| 11%
			\|'''71''' <small>(2008-10-10)</small>
			\|'''6''' <small>(2001-09-22)</small>
			\|'''84''' <small>(2001-09-22)</small>
			\|'''−46''' <small>(2008-10-12)</small>
			\|'''34''' <small>(2009-01-11)</small>
			\|'''49'''
			\|33.7
	\|-		\|-
	\| '''~~CNN/Opinion Research~~'''<ref ~~name="PollingReport-Obama"~~>{{cite web\|url=http://www.~~pollingreport~~.com/~~obama_job~~.~~htm~~\|title=~~Obama:~~ ~~Job~~ Ratings\|work=~~www.pollingreport.com~~\|~~accessdate~~=28 ~~July~~ ~~2009~~}} </ref>		\|'''42'''<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/116584/presidential-approval-ratings-bill-clinton.aspx\|title=Presidential Approval Ratings -- Bill Clinton\|work=Gallup\|date=March 11, 2008\|access-date=January 26, 2017}}</ref>
			\|]
	\|6/26-28/2009
			\|'''73''' <small>(1998-12-20)</small>
	\| 61%
			\|'''37''' <small>(1993-06-06)</small>
	\| 37%
			\|'''36'''
	\| 2%
			\|'''54''' <small>(1994-09-07)</small>
			\|'''20''' <small>(1993-01-26)</small>
			\|'''48''' <small>(1998-12-20)</small>
			\|'''−14''' <small>(1994-09-07)</small>
			\|'''66''' <small>(2001-01-14)</small>
			\|'''55'''
			\|28.5
	\|-		\|-
			\|'''41'''<ref>. American Presidency Project.</ref>
	\| '''NBC/Wall Street Journal'''<ref name="PollingReport-Obama"/>
			\|]
	\|6/12-15/2009
			\|'''89''' <small>(1991-02-28)</small>
	\| 56%
			\|'''29''' <small>(1992-08-02)</small>
	\| 34%
			\|'''60'''
	\| 10%
			\|'''60''' <small>(1992-07-31)</small>
			\|'''6''' <small>(1989-01-26)</small>
			\|'''82''' <small>(1991-03-03)</small>
			\|'''−30''' <small>(1992-08-02, 1992-10-13)</small><!-- There may be a typo for the second date in the source. -->
			\|'''56''' <small>(1993-01-11)</small>
			\|'''61'''
			\|39.5
	\|-		\|-
			\|'''40'''<ref>. American Presidency Project.</ref>
	\| '''Pew'''<ref>{{cite web \|title=Obama's Ratings Remain High Despite Some Policy Concerns: Overview - Pew Research Center for the People & the Press \|url=http://people-press.org/report/522/ \|date=18 June 2009 \|work=people-press.org \|publisher=The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press \|accessdate=28 July 2009}}</ref>
			\|]
	\|6/10-14/2009
			\|'''68''' <small>(1986-05-19)</small>
	\| 61%
			\|'''35''' <small>(1983-01-31)</small>
	\| 30%
			\|'''33'''
	\| 9%
			\|'''56''' <small>(1983-01-31)</small>
			\|'''13''' <small>(1981-02-02)</small>
			\|'''49''' <small>(1981-04-06)</small>
			\|'''−21'''<small>(1983-01-31)</small>
			\|'''63''' <small>(1988-12-29)</small>
			\|'''53'''
			\|37.0
	\|-		\|-
			\|'''39'''<ref>. American Presidency Project.</ref>
			\|]
			\|'''75''' <small>(1977-03-21)</small>
			\|'''28''' <small>(1979-07-02)</small>
			\|'''47'''
			\|'''59''' <small>(1979-07-02)</small>
			\|'''8''' <small>(1977-02-07, 1977-03-02)</small>
			\|'''66''' <small>(1977-03-15)</small>
			\|'''−31''' <small>(1979-07-02)</small>
			\|'''34''' <small>(1980-12-08)</small>
			\|'''46'''
			\|22.7
			\|-
			\|'''38'''<ref>. American Presidency Project.</ref>
			\|]
			\|'''71''' <small>(1974-08-19)</small>
			\|'''37''' <small>(1975-03-31)</small>
			\|'''34'''
			\|'''48''' <small>(1975-03-31)</small>
			\|'''3''' <small>(1974-08-19)</small>
			\|'''67''' <small>(1974-08-13)</small>
			\|'''−11''' <small>(1975-03-31)</small>
			\|'''53''' <small>(1976-12-13)</small>
			\|'''47'''
			\|14.7
			\|-
			\|'''37'''<ref>. American Presidency Project.</ref>
			\|]
			\|'''67''' <small>(1969-11-17, 1973-01-29)</small>
			\|'''24''' <small>(1974-07-15, 1974-07-26, 1974-08-05)</small>
			\|'''43'''
			\|'''66''' <small>(1974-08-05)</small>
			\|'''5''' <small>(1969-01-28)</small>
			\|'''57''' <small>(1969-03-17)</small>
			\|'''−42''' <small>(1974-08-05)</small>
			\|'''24''' <small>(1974-08-05)</small>
			\|'''49'''
			\|17.7
			\|-
			\|'''36'''<ref>. American Presidency Project.</ref>
			\|]
			\|'''79''' <small>(1964-03-05)</small>
			\|'''35''' <small>(1968-08-12)</small>
			\|'''44'''
			\|'''53''' <small>(1968-08-12)</small>
			\|'''2''' <small>(1963-12-10)</small>
			\|'''75''' <small>(1963-12-10)</small>
			\|'''−18''' <small>(1968-08-12)</small>
			\|'''49''' <small>(1969-01-06)</small>
			\|'''55'''
			\|15.3
			\|-
			\|'''35'''<ref>. American Presidency Project.</ref>
			\|]
			\|'''82''' <small>(1961-05-03, 1961-06-06)</small>
			\|'''56''' <small>(1963-09-17)</small>
			\|'''26'''
			\|'''30''' <small>(1963-11-13)</small>
			\|'''5''' <small>(1961-04-11)</small>
			\|'''77''' <small>(1961-05-03)</small>
			\|'''27''' <small>(1963-09-17)</small>
			\|'''58''' <small>(1963-11-13)</small>
			\|'''70'''
			\|13.7
			\|-
			\|'''34'''<ref>. American Presidency Project.</ref>
			\|]
			\|'''79''' <small>(1956-12-19)</small>
			\|'''48''' <small>(1958-04-01)</small>
			\|'''31'''
			\|'''36''' <small>(1958-04-01)</small>
			\|'''7''' <small>(1953-02-05)</small>
			\|'''66''' <small>(1953-04-02, 1956-12-19)</small>
			\|'''12''' <small>(1958-04-01)</small>
			\|'''59''' <small>(1960-12-13)</small>
			\|'''65'''
			\|14.4
			\|-
			\|'''33'''<ref>. American Presidency Project.</ref>
			\|]
			\|'''87''' <small>(1945-06-05)</small>
			\|'''22''' <small>(1951-11-16, 1952-02-14)</small>
			\|'''65'''
			\|'''67''' <small>(1952-01-06)</small>
			\|'''3''' <small>(1945-06-05)</small>
			\|'''85''' <small>(1945-08-22)</small>
			\|'''−43''' <small>(1952-01-04)</small>
			\|'''32''' <small>(1952-12-16)</small>
			\|'''45'''
			\|8.4
			\|-
			\|'''32'''<ref>. American Presidency Project.</ref>
			\|]<!-- The UCSB page only has data for the years 1941 to 1943. The Roper Institute had data back to at least 1938. -->
			\|'''83''' <small>(1942-01-23)</small>
			\|'''48''' <small>(1939-08-18)</small>
			\|'''35'''
			\|'''46''' <small>(1938-05-22, 1938-05-29, 1938-11-07)</small>
			\|<!-- Just a placeholder; perhaps someone can track down the 1938−1940 data. -->
			\|'''73''' <small>(1942-01-23)</small>
			\| data-sort-value="10" \|<!-- Just a placeholder; perhaps someone can track down the 1938−1940 data. -->
			\|'''65''' <small>(1943-12-15)</small>
			\|'''63'''
			\|8
	\|}		\|}

			=== Approval at the beginning of the presidency ===
	]
			{\|class="wikitable sortable"

	{{clear}}

	==Historical comparison==
	Historical Gallup Poll approval highs and lows for each President since 1937:<ref>Only Gallup polls are reported, which are the only ones available for earlier presidents; the far larger number of polls, using different methods, for recent presidents will result in a wider spread and both higher and lower extremes</ref>
	{\| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
	\|-		\|-
			\|+ Historical Gallup Poll approval at the beginning of each presidency since 1953<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Gerhard \|first=Peters \|date=February 4, 2021 \|title=Initial Presidential Job Approval Ratings. \|url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/data/initial-presidential-job-approval-ratings \|access-date=August 14, 2023 \|website=The American Presidency Project}}</ref>
	! Order
	! President
	! Highest Approval
	! Lowest Approval
	! Average Approval <ref name=AveragePolling>http://www.gallup.com/poll/116677/Presidential-Approval-Ratings-Gallup-Historical-Statistics-Trends.aspx</ref>
	\|-		\|-
			!Order
	\|'''44'''
			!President
	\| ]<ref name="GallupCurrent">http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Job-Approval.aspx</ref>
			!Initial approval
	\|'''69''' 1/22-24/09
			!Initial disapproval
	\|'''53''' 7/26-28/09
	\|'''61''' <ref name="Obama">Mathematical Average Finding averages of numbers http://www.localschooldirectory.com/lesson-plans/id/414.\|inline}}</ref>
	\|-		\|-
	\|'''43'''		\|'''46'''
			\|]
	\| ]<ref>http://www.gallup.com/poll/116500/Presidential-Approval-Ratings-George-Bush.aspx Gallup</ref>
	\| '''90''' ~~9/21~~-22/01		\|'''57''' <small>(2021-02-02)</small>
	\| '''25''' ~~10/3~~-5/08		\|'''37''' <small>(2021-02-02)</small>
	\| '''49.4'''
	\|-		\|-
	\|'''42'''		\|'''45'''
	\| ]		\|]
	\| '''73''' ~~12/19~~-20/98		\|'''45''' <small>(2017-01-22)</small>
	\| '''37''' ~~5/26~~-27/93		\|'''45''' <small>(2017-01-22)</small>
	\| '''55.1'''
	\|-		\|-
	\|'''41'''		\|'''44'''
			\|]
	\| ]
	\| '''89''' ~~2/28/~~-~~3/3~~/91		\|'''68''' <small>(2009-01-23)</small>
	\| '''29''' ~~7/31~~-~~8/2~~/92		\|'''12''' <small>(2009-01-23)</small>
	\| '''60.9'''
	\|-		\|-
	\|'''40'''		\|'''43'''
	\| ]		\|]
	\|'''68''' ~~5/16~~-19/86		\|'''57''' <small>(2001-02-05)</small>
	\| '''35''' ~~1/28~~-31/83		\|'''25''' <small>(2001-02-05)</small>
	\| '''52.8'''
	\|-		\|-
	\|'''39'''		\|'''42'''
	\| ]		\|]
	\| '''75''' ~~3/18~~-21/77		\|'''58''' <small>(1993-01-24)</small>
	\| '''28''' ~~6/29~~-~~7/2~~/79		\|'''20''' <small>(1993-01-24)</small>
	\| '''45.5'''
	\|-		\|-
	\|'''38'''		\|'''41'''
			\|]
	\| ]
	\| '''71''' ~~8/16~~-19/74		\|'''51''' <small>(1989-01-26)</small>
	\|'''37''' ~~3/28~~-31/75		\|'''6''' <small>(1989-01-26)</small>
	\| '''47.2'''
	\|-		\|-
	\|'''37'''		\|'''40'''
	\| ]		\|]
	\| '''67''' ~~1/26~~-29/~~73l~~		\|'''51''' <small>(1981-02-02)</small>
	\| '''24''' ~~8/2~~-5/~~1974~~		\|'''13''' <small>(1981-02-02)</small>
	\| '''49.0'''
	\|-		\|-
	\|'''36'''		\|'''39'''
	\| ]		\|]
	\| '''79''' ~~2/28~~-~~3/5~~/64		\|'''66''' <small>(1977-01-07)</small>
	\| '''35''' ~~8/7~~-12/68		\|'''8''' <small>(1977-01-07)</small>
	\| '''55.1'''
	\|-		\|-
	\|'''35'''		\|'''38'''
	\| ]		\|]
	\| '''83''' ~~3/8~~-13/62		\|'''71''' <small>(1974-08-19)</small>
	\| '''56''' ~~9/12~~-17/63		\|'''3''' <small>(1974-08-19)</small>
	\| '''70.1'''
	\|-		\|-
	\|'''34'''		\|'''37'''
			\|]
	\| ]
	\| '''79''' ~~12/14~~-19/56		\|'''59''' <small>(1969-01-28)</small>
	\| '''48''' ~~3/27~~-~~4/1~~/58		\|'''5''' <small>(1969-01-28)</small>
	\| '''65.0'''
	\|-		\|-
	\|'''33'''		\|'''36'''
	\| ]		\|]
	\| '''87''' ~~6/1~~-5/45		\|'''78''' <small>(1963-12-10)</small>
	\| '''22''' ~~2/9~~-14/52		\|'''2''' <small>(1963-12-10)</small>
			\|-
	\| '''45.4'''
			\|'''35'''
			\|]
			\|'''72''' <small>(1961-02-15)</small>
			\|'''6''' <small>(1961-02-15)</small>
			\|-
			\|'''34'''
			\|]
			\|'''68''' <small>(1953-02-05)</small>
			\|'''7''' <small>(1953-02-05)</small>
			\|-
			\|'''33'''
			\|]
			\|'''87''' <small>(1945-06-05)</small>
			\|'''3''' <small>(1945-06-05)</small>
	\|-		\|-
	\|'''32'''
	\| ]<ref name="Roosevelt">Presidential approval ratings were started during the presidency of FDR. Therefore, the numbers are incomplete and may not accurately reflect the extremes of public sentiment earlier in his presidency. The cited highs and lows are for the recorded data only. Also, no average is available, presumably because it would be meaningless. Further, although FDR is tied with Eisenhower for the 3rd-highest minimum (48%), "highest minimum" can only be accurately and fairly determined from a President's entire term.</ref><ref>{{cite web \|title=Data Access - Presidential Approval \|url=http://webapps.ropercenter.uconn.edu/CFIDE/roper/presidential/webroot/presidential_rating_detail.cfm?allRate=True&presidentName=Roosevelt \|work=http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/ \|publisher=Roper Center at UConn \|accessdate=27 July 2009}}</ref>
	\| '''84''' 1/8-13/42
	\| '''48''' 8/18-24/39
	\| '''66''' <ref name="Roosevelt"/><ref name="Obama">Mathematical Average Finding averages of numbers http://www.localschooldirectory.com/lesson-plans/id/414.\|inline}}</ref>
	\|}		\|}

	=== ~~Highest~~ approval ~~rating~~ ===		=== Historical net approval of each presidency ===
			{\| class="wikitable sortable"
	] holds the record, with 90% (9/21-22/2001—after the ]).<br />
			\|+Historical average polling approval of each presidency since 1953. Polling figures are the unweighted mean of both polling averages reported by ] and ].<ref>{{Cite web \|title=President Biden Job Approval Ratings and Polls {{!}} RealClearPolling \|url=https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/approval/joe-biden/approval-rating \|access-date=2024-08-06 \|website=www.realclearpolling.com \|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|last=Wiederkehr \|first=Ryan Best, Aaron Bycoffe, Ritchie King, Dhrumil Mehta and Anna \|date=2018-06-28 \|title=Latest Polls \|url=https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/ \|access-date=2024-08-06 \|website=FiveThirtyEight \|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|title=data/polls/old_model at master · fivethirtyeight/data \|url=https://github.com/fivethirtyeight/data/tree/master/polls/old_model \|access-date=2024-08-06 \|website=GitHub \|language=en}}</ref> Figures listed for President Joe Biden are current as of January 7, 2025 and will be updated through completion of the first term of his presidency. President Trump's second term numbers will be added upon start of his presidency on January 20, 2025.
	] is second highest, with 89% (2/28/-3/3/1991—after the ]).<br />
			!Order
	] is third highest, with 87% (6/1-5/1945—after ]).<br />
			!President
	] is fourth highest, with 84% (1/8-13/1942—after ]).
			!Average initial approval

			!Average initial disapproval
	=== Lowest approval rating ===
			!Net initial approval
	] holds the record, with 22% (2/9-14/1952—during the ]).<br />
			!Average final approval
	] is second lowest, with 24% (7/12-15/1974, 8/2-5/1974—during ]).<br />
			!Average final disapproval
	] is third lowest, at 25% (10/3-5/2008, 10/10-12/08, 10/31-11/2/08—during the ]).<br />
			!Net final approval
	] is fourth lowest, with 28% (6/29-7/2/79—during the ] and ensuing ]).
			!Initial to final change

	=== Lowest maximum approval rating during the President's time in office ===
	] holds the record, with 67% (1/26-29/1973).<br />
	] is second lowest, with 68% (5/8-11/1981).<br />
	] is third lowest, with 69% (1/22-24/09).<br />
	] is fourth lowest, with 73% (12/19-20/1998).

	=== Highest minimum approval rating during the President's time in office ===
	] holds the record, with 56% (9/12-17/1963). <br />
	] is second highest, with 53% (7/26-28/2009). <br />
	] is third highest, with 48% (3/27-4/1/1958).<br />
	] is tied for fourth place, with 37% (3/28-31/1975).<ref name="Roosevelt"/> <br />
	] is tied for fourth place, with 37% (5/26-27/1993).

	=== Biggest approval rating difference during the President's time in office ===
	] is tied for the record, with 65 percentage points.<br />
	] is tied for the record, with 65 percentage points.<br />
	] is third highest, with 60 percentage points.<br />
	] is fourth highest, with 47 percentage points.

	=== Highest disapproval rating ===
	] holds the record, with 71% (10/10-12/2008, 4% undecided).<br />
	] is second highest, with 69% (1/6-11/1952, 9% undecided).<br />
	] is third highest, with 66% (1/4-7/1974, 10% undecided).<br />
	] is fourth highest, with 60% (7/31-8/2/92, 11% undecided).

	=== Highest average approval rating ===
	] holds the record, with 70.1%.<br />
	] is second highest, with 65%.<br />
	] is third highest, with 60.9%.<br />
	] is tied for fourth place, with 55.1%.<br />
	] is tied for fourth place, with 55.1%.

	=== Lowest average approval rating ===
	] holds the record, with 45.4%.<br />
	] is second lowest, with 45.5%.<br />
	] is third lowest, with 47.2%.<br />
	] is fourth lowest, with 49%.

	=== Graphs ===
	{\| class="wikitable" border="1"
	\|-		\|-
			\|46
	\|'''Gallup Poll graphs of approval ratings for ]:'''
			\|Biden
			\|57.5
			\|37.5
			\| +20
			\|37.9
			\|56.9
			\| -19
			\| -39
	\|-		\|-
			\|45
	\|<gallery>
			\|Trump
	Image:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Franklin D Roosevelt.png\|President ].
			\|45
	Image:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Harry S Truman.png\|President ].
			\|46
	Image:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Dwight D Eisenhower.png\|President ].
			\| -1
	Image:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-John F Kennedy.png\|President ].
			\|41.1
	Image:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Lyndon B Johnson.png\|President ].
			\|56.1
	Image:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Richard Nixon.png\|President ].
			\| -15
	Image:Galup Poll-Approval Rating-Gerald Ford.png\|President ].
			\| -14
	Image:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Jimmy Carter.png\|President ].
			\|-
	Image:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Ronald Reagan.png\|President ].
			\|44
	Image:Gallup_Poll-Approval_Rating-George_H_W_Bush.png\|President ].
			\|Obama
	Image:Galup_Poll-Approval_Rating-Bill_Clinton.png\|President ].
			\|68.5
	Image:‎Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-George W Bush.png\|President ].
			\|12.5
	</gallery>
			\| +56
			\|59
			\|37
			\| +22
			\| -34
			\|-
			\|43
			\|G. W. Bush
			\|57
			\|25
			\| +32
			\|34
			\|61
			\| -27
			\| -59
			\|-
			\|42
			\|Clinton
			\|58
			\|20
			\| +38
			\|66
			\|29
			\| +37
			\| -1
			\|-
			\|41
			\|G. H. W. Bush
			\|51
			\|6
			\| +45
			\|56
			\|37
			\| +19
			\| -26
			\|-
			\|40
			\|Reagan
			\|51
			\|13
			\| +38
			\|63
			\|29
			\| +32
			\| -6
			\|-
			\|39
			\|Carter
			\|66
			\|8
			\| +58
			\|34
			\|55
			\| -21
			\| -79
			\|-
			\|38
			\|Ford
			\|71
			\|3
			\| +68
			\|53
			\|32
			\| +32
			\| -36
			\|-
			\|37
			\|Nixon
			\|59
			\|5
			\| +54
			\|24
			\|66
			\| -42
			\| -96
			\|-
			\|36
			\|Johnson
			\|78
			\|2
			\| +76
			\|49
			\|33
			\| +16
			\| -60
			\|-
			\|35
			\|Kennedy
			\|72
			\|6
			\| +66
			\|58
			\|28
			\| +30
			\| -36
			\|-
			\|34
			\|Eisenhower
			\|68
			\|7
			\| +61
			\|59
			\|28
			\| +31
			\| -30
			\|-
			\|33
			\|Truman
			\|87
			\|3
			\| +84
			\|32
			\|56
			\| -24
			\| -108
	\|}		\|}

	==~~Related~~ ~~concepts~~==		=== Graphs ===
			<gallery widths="120px" heights="75px" caption="Gallup Poll graphs of approval ratings for former presidents of the United States">
	There are several polling concepts related to an approval rating. A '''disapproval rating''' measures the number of people who disapprove of a politician, and is essentially the opposite of an approval rating. A '''net approval rating''' is the difference between an individual's approval and disapproval numbers. This number is especially useful with individuals who lack ]. A candidate which registers 50% undecided, and has a 30% approval versus a 20% disapproval could be judged to have a favorable net approval rating, even though 30% approval looks bad on its own.
			File:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Franklin D Roosevelt.png\|]
			File:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Harry S Truman.png\|]
			File:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Dwight D Eisenhower.png\|]
			File:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-John F Kennedy.png\|]
			File:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Lyndon B Johnson.png\|]
			File:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Richard Nixon.png\|]
			File:Galup Poll-Approval Rating-Gerald Ford.png\|]
			File:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Jimmy Carter.png\|]
			File:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Ronald Reagan.png\|]
			File:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-George H W Bush.png\|]
			File:Galup Poll-Approval Rating-Bill Clinton.png\|]
			File:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-George W Bush.png\|]
			File:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Barack Obama.svg\|]
			File:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Donald Trump.svg\|]
			File:Joe Biden presidential approval rating Gallup.png\|]

			</gallery>
	There are also favorability rating polls done during a president's tenure that gauge whether people have a favorable impression of the president or not.

	==See also==		== See also ==
	*]		* ]
			* ]
	*]
			* ]
			* ]

	==~~References~~==		== Notes ==
	{{~~reflist\|2~~}}		{{notelist}}

	==~~External~~ ~~links~~==		== References ==
			{{reflist}}
	*
	*
	*
	*
	*
	*
	*

			== External links ==
	{{DEFAULTSORT:United States Presidential Approval Rating}}
			* . Roper Center.
	]
			* {{Webarchive\|url=https://archive.today/20170812173928/https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/ \|date=August 12, 2017 }}. FiveThirtyEight.
			* {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200519083652/http://www.data360.org/graph_group.aspx?Graph_Group_Id=292 \|date=May 19, 2020 }}. Data360.
			* . PresidentPollsUSA.
			* . ''The Wall Street Journal''.
			* . (CongressRatings)

			{{Lists of US Presidents and Vice Presidents}}
	]

	]
			{{DEFAULTSORT:United States Presidential Approval Rating}}
			]
			]
			]
			]

Latest revision as of 16:16, 7 January 2025

Historical approval ratings of the US president

In the United States, presidential job approval ratings were first conducted by George Gallup (estimated to be 1937) to gauge public support for the president of the United States during their term. An approval rating is a percentage determined by polling which indicates the percentage of respondents to an opinion poll who approve of a particular person or program. Typically, an approval rating is given to a politician based on responses to a poll in which a sample of people are asked whether they approve or disapprove of that particular political figure. A question might ask: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way that the current president is handling their job as president?".

Like most surveys that measure opinions, individual poll results may be inaccurate. Many unscientific approval rating systems exist that show inaccurate statistics. Examples that self select, such as online questions are of this type; however, the aggregate approval rating is generally accepted by statisticians as a statistically valid indicator of the comparative changes in the popular United States mood regarding a president.

George W. Bush registered a 90% job approval rating (the highest in Gallup's tracking) shortly after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Harry S. Truman registered a 22% job approval rating (the lowest in Gallup's tracking) in a survey conducted February 9–14, 1952.

Historical comparison

Historical Gallup Poll approval highs and lows for each president since 1937
Order	President	Highest approval	Lowest approval	High – Low	Highest disapproval	Lowest disapproval	Highest margin	Lowest margin	Final poll	Approval average	Polls per year
46	Joe Biden	57 (2021-02-02, 2021-04-21)	36 (2024-07-21)	21	59 (2022-07-26, 2023-04-25, 2023-10-23, 2023-11-21, 2023-12-20, 2024-02-20)	37 (2021-02-02)	20 (2021-02-02)	−22 (2023-04-25, 2023-10-23, 2023-11-21, 2024-07-21)	TBD	42	TBD
45	Donald Trump	49 (2020-01-29, 2020-02-16, 2020-03-22, 2020-04-28, 2020-05-13)	34 (2021-01-15)	15	62 (2021-01-15)	45 (2017-01-22, 2020-03-22)	4 (2020-03-22)	−28 (2021-01-15)	34 (2021-01-15)	41	40
44	Barack Obama	69 (2009-01-24)	38 (2014-09-05)	31	57 (2014-10-10)	12 (2009-01-23)	56 (2009-01-23, 2009-01-24)	−18 (2014-10-10)	59 (2017-01-19)	48	48.4
43	George W. Bush	90 (2001-09-22)	25 (2008-10-05, 2008-10-12, 2008-11-02)	65	71 (2008-10-10)	6 (2001-09-22)	84 (2001-09-22)	−46 (2008-10-12)	34 (2009-01-11)	49	33.7
42	Bill Clinton	73 (1998-12-20)	37 (1993-06-06)	36	54 (1994-09-07)	20 (1993-01-26)	48 (1998-12-20)	−14 (1994-09-07)	66 (2001-01-14)	55	28.5
41	George H. W. Bush	89 (1991-02-28)	29 (1992-08-02)	60	60 (1992-07-31)	6 (1989-01-26)	82 (1991-03-03)	−30 (1992-08-02, 1992-10-13)	56 (1993-01-11)	61	39.5
40	Ronald Reagan	68 (1986-05-19)	35 (1983-01-31)	33	56 (1983-01-31)	13 (1981-02-02)	49 (1981-04-06)	−21(1983-01-31)	63 (1988-12-29)	53	37.0
39	Jimmy Carter	75 (1977-03-21)	28 (1979-07-02)	47	59 (1979-07-02)	8 (1977-02-07, 1977-03-02)	66 (1977-03-15)	−31 (1979-07-02)	34 (1980-12-08)	46	22.7
38	Gerald Ford	71 (1974-08-19)	37 (1975-03-31)	34	48 (1975-03-31)	3 (1974-08-19)	67 (1974-08-13)	−11 (1975-03-31)	53 (1976-12-13)	47	14.7
37	Richard Nixon	67 (1969-11-17, 1973-01-29)	24 (1974-07-15, 1974-07-26, 1974-08-05)	43	66 (1974-08-05)	5 (1969-01-28)	57 (1969-03-17)	−42 (1974-08-05)	24 (1974-08-05)	49	17.7
36	Lyndon B. Johnson	79 (1964-03-05)	35 (1968-08-12)	44	53 (1968-08-12)	2 (1963-12-10)	75 (1963-12-10)	−18 (1968-08-12)	49 (1969-01-06)	55	15.3
35	John F. Kennedy	82 (1961-05-03, 1961-06-06)	56 (1963-09-17)	26	30 (1963-11-13)	5 (1961-04-11)	77 (1961-05-03)	27 (1963-09-17)	58 (1963-11-13)	70	13.7
34	Dwight Eisenhower	79 (1956-12-19)	48 (1958-04-01)	31	36 (1958-04-01)	7 (1953-02-05)	66 (1953-04-02, 1956-12-19)	12 (1958-04-01)	59 (1960-12-13)	65	14.4
33	Harry Truman	87 (1945-06-05)	22 (1951-11-16, 1952-02-14)	65	67 (1952-01-06)	3 (1945-06-05)	85 (1945-08-22)	−43 (1952-01-04)	32 (1952-12-16)	45	8.4
32	Franklin D. Roosevelt	83 (1942-01-23)	48 (1939-08-18)	35	46 (1938-05-22, 1938-05-29, 1938-11-07)		73 (1942-01-23)		65 (1943-12-15)	63	8

Approval at the beginning of the presidency

Historical Gallup Poll approval at the beginning of each presidency since 1953
Order	President	Initial approval	Initial disapproval
46	Biden	57 (2021-02-02)	37 (2021-02-02)
45	Trump	45 (2017-01-22)	45 (2017-01-22)
44	Obama	68 (2009-01-23)	12 (2009-01-23)
43	G. W. Bush	57 (2001-02-05)	25 (2001-02-05)
42	Clinton	58 (1993-01-24)	20 (1993-01-24)
41	G. H. W. Bush	51 (1989-01-26)	6 (1989-01-26)
40	Reagan	51 (1981-02-02)	13 (1981-02-02)
39	Carter	66 (1977-01-07)	8 (1977-01-07)
38	Ford	71 (1974-08-19)	3 (1974-08-19)
37	Nixon	59 (1969-01-28)	5 (1969-01-28)
36	Johnson	78 (1963-12-10)	2 (1963-12-10)
35	Kennedy	72 (1961-02-15)	6 (1961-02-15)
34	Eisenhower	68 (1953-02-05)	7 (1953-02-05)
33	Truman	87 (1945-06-05)	3 (1945-06-05)

Historical net approval of each presidency

Historical average polling approval of each presidency since 1953. Polling figures are the unweighted mean of both polling averages reported by Real Clear Politics and FiveThirtyEight. Figures listed for President Joe Biden are current as of January 7, 2025 and will be updated through completion of the first term of his presidency. President Trump's second term numbers will be added upon start of his presidency on January 20, 2025.
Order	President	Average initial approval	Average initial disapproval	Net initial approval	Average final approval	Average final disapproval	Net final approval	Initial to final change
46	Biden	57.5	37.5	+20	37.9	56.9	-19	-39
45	Trump	45	46	-1	41.1	56.1	-15	-14
44	Obama	68.5	12.5	+56	59	37	+22	-34
43	G. W. Bush	57	25	+32	34	61	-27	-59
42	Clinton	58	20	+38	66	29	+37	-1
41	G. H. W. Bush	51	6	+45	56	37	+19	-26
40	Reagan	51	13	+38	63	29	+32	-6
39	Carter	66	8	+58	34	55	-21	-79
38	Ford	71	3	+68	53	32	+32	-36
37	Nixon	59	5	+54	24	66	-42	-96
36	Johnson	78	2	+76	49	33	+16	-60
35	Kennedy	72	6	+66	58	28	+30	-36
34	Eisenhower	68	7	+61	59	28	+31	-30
33	Truman	87	3	+84	32	56	-24	-108

Graphs

Gallup Poll graphs of approval ratings for former presidents of the United States
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Harry S. Truman
Dwight D. Eisenhower
John F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Bill Clinton
George W. Bush
Barack Obama
Donald Trump
Joe Biden

Notes

Only the results of Gallup polls are included as no other poll results exist for presidents before President Clinton.

References

"Presidential Approval Ratings: Donald Trump". Gallup.com. Gallup, Inc. November 16, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
Jones, J. (2022). Who had the highest Gallup presidential job approval rating? Gallup. Retrieved from Who Had the Highest Gallup Presidential Job Approval Rating?
Jones, J. (2022). Who had the lowest Gallup presidential job approval rating? Gallup. Retrieved from Who Had the Lowest Gallup Presidential Job Approval Rating?
^ "Presidential Approval Ratings – Gallup Historical Statistics and Trends". Gallup. March 12, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
Lydia Saad (March 29, 2017). "Trump's Approval Rating Unusually Low, Unusually Early". Gallup. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
The American Presidency Project at UC Santa Barbara.
"Gallup Daily: Biden Job Approval". Gallup.com. February 5, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
"Biden Job Approval a Respectable 57% at 100 Days". Gallup. April 23, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
"Gallup Daily: Trump Job Approval". Gallup. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
Saad, Lydia (January 23, 2017). Trump Sets New Low Point for Inaugural Approval Rating. Gallup Inc..
"Gallup Daily: Obama Job Approval". Gallup.com. January 12, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
"Presidential Approval Ratings -- George Bush". Gallup.com. Gallup. January 20, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
"Presidential Approval Ratings -- Bill Clinton". Gallup. March 11, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
"Presidential Job Approval for George H. W. Bush". American Presidency Project.
"Presidential Job Approval for Ronald Reagan". American Presidency Project.
"Presidential Job Approval for Jimmy Carter". American Presidency Project.
"Presidential Job Approval for Gerald Ford". American Presidency Project.
"Presidential Job Approval for Richard Nixon". American Presidency Project.
"Presidential Job Approval for Lyndon B. Johnson". American Presidency Project.
"Presidential Job Approval for John F. Kennedy". American Presidency Project.
Presidential Job Approval for "Dwight D. Eisenhower". American Presidency Project.
"Presidential Job Approval for Harry S. Truman". American Presidency Project.
"Presidential Job Approval for Franklin D. Roosevelt". American Presidency Project.
Gerhard, Peters (February 4, 2021). "Initial Presidential Job Approval Ratings". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
"President Biden Job Approval Ratings and Polls | RealClearPolling". www.realclearpolling.com. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
Wiederkehr, Ryan Best, Aaron Bycoffe, Ritchie King, Dhrumil Mehta and Anna (June 28, 2018). "Latest Polls". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved August 6, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
"data/polls/old_model at master · fivethirtyeight/data". GitHub. Retrieved August 6, 2024.

External links

"Historical Presidential Job Performance Ratings". Roper Center.
"Trump approval ratings" Archived August 12, 2017, at archive.today. FiveThirtyEight.
"Midterm Presidential Approval Ratings" Archived May 19, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Data360.
"President Job Approval Ratings". PresidentPollsUSA.
"Historical Presidential Approval Ratings 1945–2009". The Wall Street Journal.
"President Obama's Ongoing Job Approval". (CongressRatings)

Lists related to presidents and vice presidents of the United States

Presidents

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Personal life	Age Ancestry Bibliographies autobiographies Burial places Coats of arms Death in office Education Facial hair Families first ladies children Firsts Freemasons Home state Left-handed Multilingualism Net worth Nicknames Pets Religious affiliation Residences Scouts Slave owners Vacations
Depictions and honors	Actor portrayals fictional Currency Educational institutions Libraries Memorials in other countries Military vessels Portraits Sculptures U.S. counties U.S. postage stamps

Vice presidents

Succession

Elections

Candidates

Political affiliation	Democratic Democratic-Republican Federalist Green Libertarian National Republican / Whig Republican Third party / independent
Distinctions	African American Campaign slogans Female Height Lost their home state Number of votes received in primaries Received at least one electoral vote Unsuccessful major party presidential candidates Unsuccessful major party vice presidential candidates

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