{"id":49179,"date":"2013-09-18T08:58:27","date_gmt":"2013-09-18T13:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2013\/09\/18\/republicans-sour-on-ben-bernanke\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T11:02:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T15:02:06","slug":"republicans-sour-on-ben-bernanke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2013\/09\/18\/republicans-sour-on-ben-bernanke\/","title":{"rendered":"Republicans Sour on Ben Bernanke"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Survey Report<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As Ben Bernanke prepares to step down as chairman of the Federal Reserve in January, the public views him somewhat more favorably (38%) than unfavorably (31%), with 32% unable to offer a rating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Public<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bernanke is better known now than he was in March 2008, when 55% could not rate him; at that time, 24% viewed him favorably and 21% held an unfavorable view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted Sept. 4-8 among 1,506 adults, finds that Republicans view Bernanke less favorably than they did five years ago. Currently, more Republicans have an unfavorable (42%) than favorable (32%) view of Bernanke. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Shifting<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In March 2008, three years after George W. Bush nominated him as Fed chair, Republicans viewed Bernanke favorably by three-to-one (36%-12%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tea Party Republicans, in particular, have a highly negative view of the outgoing Fed chair. Fully 64% of Republicans and Republican leaners who agree with the Tea Party have an unfavorable impression of Bernanke. That compares with just 32% of non-Tea Party Republicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, Bernanke\u2019s image among Democrats is more positive than it was in 2008. In the current survey, Democrats view Bernanke favorably by a 42%-19% margin. Democrats had mixed views of Bernanke in 2008 (22% favorable, 25% unfavorable). Independents continue to express mixed views of the Fed chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bernanke<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bernanke is better known \u2013 and better liked \u2013 among college graduates than those with less education. About three-quarters of college graduates (76%) are able to offer a rating of Bernanke and they view him more favorably than unfavorably by a 46%-31% margin. Among those who have not completed college, fewer have an impression of Bernanke (65%) and opinions are more mixed (35% favorable vs. 31% unfavorable).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Views of Bernanke are closely tied to impressions of the stock market recovery. Among the roughly one-in-five Americans (21%) who say the stock market has fully recovered from the recession: 55% view Bernanke favorably compared with 32% who view him unfavorably (14% have no opinion). Bernanke is not as well known, and is viewed less favorably, among those who say the market has partially recovered (53% of the public) or has hardly recovered at all (18%) from the recession. (For more, see \u201cFive Years after Market Crash, U.S. Economy Seen as \u2018No More Secure\u2019,\u201d<\/a> Sept. 12, 2013.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Survey Report As Ben Bernanke prepares to step down as chairman of the Federal Reserve in January, the public views him somewhat more favorably (38%) than unfavorably (31%), with 32% unable to offer a rating. Bernanke is better known now than he was in March 2008, when 55% could not rate him; at that time, 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