{"id":18776,"date":"2016-01-12T10:00:15","date_gmt":"2016-01-12T15:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/presidential-job-approval-ratings-from-ike-to-obama\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T03:43:58","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T08:43:58","slug":"presidential-job-approval-ratings-from-ike-to-obama","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2016\/01\/12\/presidential-job-approval-ratings-from-ike-to-obama\/","title":{"rendered":"Presidential job approval ratings from Ike to Obama"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps no measure better captures the public\u2019s sentiment toward the president than job approval. It dates back to the earliest days of public opinion polling, when George Gallup asked about Franklin D. Roosevelt starting in the 1930s:<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDo you approve or disapprove of the way ____ is handling his job as president?\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our poll\u00a0in December 2015 showed that 46% of Americans approve of Barack Obama\u2019s job performance \u2013 a rating that\u2019s been steady throughout 2015, and is up 4 percentage points from a year prior.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Digging deeper into job approval ratings reveals additional insights about the public\u2019s views of its leaders. We looked at Pew Research Center data going back to Bill Clinton, and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gallup.com\/poll\/124922\/Presidential-Job-Approval-Center.aspx\">Gallup data<\/a>\u00a0going back to Dwight Eisenhower. These ratings reflect, for example, how views of presidents have become\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2014\/06\/12\/section-2-growing-partisan-antipathy\/\">more politically polarized<\/a>, as well as how key events in U.S. history have helped shape positive and negative views of our commanders in chief.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\">Views of the president among members of the opposing party have steadily become more negative over time.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2014\/06\/12\/political-polarization-in-the-american-public\/\">Our\u00a02014 report on political polarization<\/a>\u00a0documented this dramatic growth in partisan divisions over views of presidential job performance.<strong>\u00a0Over the course of Obama\u2019s presidency, his average approval rating among Democrats has been 80%, compared with just 14% among Republicans.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During Eisenhower\u2019s two terms, from 1953 to 1960, an average of 49% of Democrats said they approved of the job the Republican president was doing in office. During Ronald Reagan\u2019s presidency, an average of 31% of Democrats approved of his job performance. And just over a quarter (27%) of Republicans offered a positive assessment of Clinton between 1993 and 2000. But the two most recent presidents \u2013 George W. Bush and Obama \u2013 have not received even this minimal level of support.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2015\/02\/16\/presidential-job-approval-ratings-from-ike-to-obama\/ft_16-01-06_presapproval\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-276733\"><img data-dominant-color=\"edece7\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #edece7;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"630\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval.png?resize=480,473 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval.png?resize=640,630 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" class=\"wp-image-28968 not-transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval.png\" alt=\"Polarization and presidential approval: supporters stay loyal, opposition intensifies\" ><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <!--more--><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2015\/02\/16\/presidential-job-approval-ratings-from-ike-to-obama\/ft_16-01-06_presapproval_year5to8\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-276734\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f1f0f0\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f1f0f0;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"310\" height=\"400\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_year5to8.png?resize=310,400 310w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" class=\"wp-image-28971 not-transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_year5to8.png\" alt=\"Obama's job rating higher than Bush's, below Clinton's, on par with Reagan's at similar points of presidency\" ><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Obama\u2019s 46% job approval in December placed him between George W. Bush (30%) and Bill Clinton (55%) at similar points\u00a0<\/strong><strong>in their second terms <\/strong>in late 2007 and 1999, respectively. It was also comparable to Reagan\u2019s rating of 49% in December 1987.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\">High-profile presidential scandals don\u2019t always cause huge or lasting drops in public approval.\u00a0<strong>Clinton first reached his all-time high job approval of 71% in our\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/1998\/02\/06\/popular-policies-and-unpopular-press-lift-clinton-ratings\/\"><strong>February 1998 poll<\/strong><\/a><strong>, amid the Monica Lewinsky scandal.\u00a0<\/strong>Clinton again reached the 71% mark in our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/1998\/12\/22\/turned-off-public-tuned-out-impeachment\/\">late December 1998 poll<\/a>, after\u00a0his impeachment by the House of Representatives. Reagan\u2019s approval rating dropped to 49% in January 1987 during the Iran-Contra scandal, but he left office two years later with a 63% rating.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Richard Nixon\u2019s approval\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2014\/08\/08\/how-the-watergate-crisis-eroded-public-support-for-richard-nixon\/\">declined steadily<\/a>\u00a0throughout the Watergate scandal. His rating reached a high of 68% in January 1973, following his re-election, but plummeted to a low of 24% by the time he left office in August 1974.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2015\/02\/16\/presidential-job-approval-ratings-from-ike-to-obama\/ft_16-01-06_presapproval_hi_lo\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-276735\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f0edeb\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f0edeb;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"639\" height=\"503\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_hi_lo.png?resize=480,378 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_hi_lo.png?resize=639,503 639w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" class=\"wp-image-28976 not-transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_hi_lo.png\" alt=\"Highs and lows of presidential approval\" ><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The presidents with the starkest gaps between their highs and lows in job approval are George W. Bush and his father<\/strong>. George W. Bush\u2019s 86% high came soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a moment of national unity. But near the end of his presidency in 2008, his approval fell to a low of 22%. The elder Bush\u2019s approval reached a high of 89% in March 1991,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.history.com\/topics\/persian-gulf-war\">following military action led by the U.S.<\/a>\u00a0to reverse Saddam Hussein\u2019s occupation of Kuwait; his low rating of 29% came in August 1992. But his approval rating rebounded to 56% by the time he left office in January 1993.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Note: This is an update to a post originally published on Feb. 16, 2015.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Perhaps no measure better captures the public\u2019s sentiment toward the president than job approval. It dates back to the earliest days of public opinion polling, when George Gallup asked about Franklin D. Roosevelt starting in the 1930s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":205,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":null,"sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"relatedPosts":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[]},"categories":[],"bylines":[725,807],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[467],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[515],"research-teams":[520],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-18776","short-read","type-short-read","status-publish","hentry","bylines-george-gao","bylines-samantha-smith","formats-short-read","regions-countries-united-states","research-teams-politics"],"label":"Short Read","post_parent":0,"word_count":544,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2016\/01\/12\/presidential-job-approval-ratings-from-ike-to-obama\/","art_direction":{"A1":{"id":28976,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_hi_lo.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_hi_lo.png?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"chartArt":false},"A2":{"id":28976,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_hi_lo.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_hi_lo.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"A3":{"id":28976,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_hi_lo.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_hi_lo.png?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"chartArt":false},"A4":{"id":28976,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_hi_lo.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_hi_lo.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"XL":{"id":28976,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_hi_lo.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_hi_lo.png?w=639&h=405&crop=1","width":639,"height":405,"chartArt":false},"social":{"id":28976,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_hi_lo.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/FT_16.01.06_presApproval_hi_lo.png?w=639&h=503&crop=1","width":639,"height":503,"chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"Presidential job approval ratings from Ike to Obama","description":"Perhaps no measure better captures the public\u2019s sentiment toward the president than job approval. 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