United States presidential approval rating
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In the United States, presidential job approval ratings were 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?"[1]
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.
President Joe Biden's approval ratings
FiveThirtyEight[2] | All polls | 50.3% | 43.5% |
RealClearPolitics[3] | All polls | 34.5% | 25.9% |
majority approve plurality approve plurality disapprove majority disapprove
Polling group | Date | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Approval | Disapproval | Unsure/no opinion | Net |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rasmussen Reports/Pulse Opinion Research[4] | July 1–7, 2021 | 1,500 (LV) | ±2.5% | 23% | 26% | 1% | -1 |
YouGov (for The Economist)[5] | July 3–6, 2021 | 1,500 (A) | ±2.8% | 25% | 20% | 10% | -11 |
Morning Consult[6] | June 30–July 6, 2021 | 2,085 (A) | ±0.5% | 52% | 25% | 9% | -13 |
Léger[7] | July 2–4, 2021 | 1,003 (A) | ±3.09% | 56% | 43% | 2% | +13 |
IBD/TIPP[8] | June 30–July 2, 2021 | 1,424 (A) | ±2.8% | 50% | 37% | 13% | +13 |
Ipsos[9] | June 30–July 1, 2021 | 1,004 (A) | ±3.5% | 51% | 42% | 7% | +9 |
HarrisX (for The Hill)[10] | June 29–30, 2021 | 950 (A) | ±3.18% | 60% | 40% | 0% | +20 |
ABC News/The Washington Post[11] | June 27–30, 2021 | 907 (A) | ±3.5% | 50% | 42% | 8% | +8 |
Historical Gallup polling comparison
Order | President | Highest approval | Lowest approval | High – Low |
Highest disapproval | Highest margin | Lowest margin | Final poll | Approval average[12] |
Polls per year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
46 | Biden | 57 (2021-02-02, 2021-04-21) [15] | 50 (2021-07-21) [16] | 7 | 45 (2021-07-21) [17] | 20 (2021-02-02) | 5 (2021-07-21) | 56 | 7 [18] | |
45 | Trump | 49 (2020-05-13)[19] | 34 (2021-01-15)[19] | 15 | 62 (2021-01-15)[19] | 4 (2020-03-22)[19] | −28 (2021-01-15)[19] | 34 (2021-01-15)[19] | 41[19] | 40 |
44[23][24] | Obama | 67 (2009-01-25) | 40 (2014-09-05)[c] | 27 | 55 (2014-06-22, 2014-10-12) | 56 (2009-01-23, 2009-01-24) | −18 (2014-10-10) | 59 (2017-01-19) | 47.9 | 48.4 |
43[25] | G. W. Bush | 90 (2001-09-21) | 25 (2008-10-05, 2008-10-12, 2008-11-02) | 65 | 71 (2008-10-10) | 83 (2001-09-22) | −46 (2008-10-12) | 34 (2009-01-11) | 49.4 | 33.7 |
42[26] | Clinton | 73 (1998-12-19) | 37 (1993-06-06) | 36 | 54 (1994-09-07) | 45 (2000-12-17) | −14 (1994-09-07) | 66 (2001-01-14) | 55.1 | 28.5 |
41[27] | G. H. W. Bush | 89 (1991-02-28) | 29 (1992-08-02, 1992-10-13) | 60 | 60 (1992-07-31) | 82 (1991-03-03) | −30 (1992-08-02, 1992-10-13) | 56 (1993-01-11) | 60.9 | 39.5 |
40[28] | Reagan | 71 (1986-01-30) | 35 (1983-01-31) | 36 | 56 (1983-01-28) | 52 (1986-01-30) | −21(1983-01-31) | 63 (1988-12-29) | 52.8 | 37.0 |
39[29] | Carter | 74 (1977-03-15) | 28 (1979-06-26, 1979-10-02) | 46 | 59 (1979-06-26) | 66 (1977-03-15) | −31 (1979-06-26) | 34 (1980-12-08) | 45.5 | 22.7 |
38[30] | Ford | 70 (1974-08-13) | 36 (1975-03-25) | 34 | 46 (1975-04-15, 1975-11-18) | 67 (1974-08-13) | −7 (1975-02-25, 1975-03-25, 1975-04-15) | 53 (1976-12-13) | 47.2 | 14.7 |
37[31] | Nixon | 66 (1973-01-23) | 24 (1974-01-02) | 42 | 66 (1974-08-05) | 57 (1969-03-17) | −42 (1974-08-05) | 24 (1974-08-05) | 49.1 | 17.7 |
36[32] | Johnson | 79 (1964-03-05) | 34 (1968-08-12) | 45 | 52 (1968-08-12) | 75 (1963-12-10) | −18 (1968-08-12) | 49 (1969-01-06) | 55.1 | 15.3 |
35[33] | Kennedy | 83 (1962-03-05) | 56 (1963-09-10) | 27 | 30 (1963-09-12, 1963-11-08) | 78 (1962-03-05) | 27 (1963-09-10) | 58 (1963-11-13) | 70.1 | 13.7 |
34[34] | Eisenhower | 77 (1955-11-22, 1956-12-19) | 47 (1958-03-25) | 30 | 36 (1958-03-25) | 66 (1953-04-02, 1956-12-19) | 12 (1958-03-25) | 59 (1960-12-13) | 65.0 | 14.4 |
33[35] | Truman | 87 (1945-06-05) | 22 (1951-11-16, 1952-02-14) | 65 | 67 (1952-01-06) | 85 (1945-08-22) | −43 (1952-01-04) | 32 (1952-12-16) | 45.4 | 8.4 |
32[36] | F. 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
Order | President | Highest approval | Lowest disapproval |
---|---|---|---|
46 | Biden | 57 (2021-02-11) | 37 (2021-02-02) |
45 | Trump | 49 (2020-05-13) | 45 (2017-01-22) |
44 | Obama | 68 (2009-01-23) | 12 (2009-01-23) |
43 | 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 (1993-01-26) | 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) | 5 (1969) |
36 | LBJ | 78 (1963) | 2 (1963) |
35 | Kennedy | 72 (1961) | 6 (1961) |
34 | Eisenhower | 68 (1953) | 7 (1953) |
33 | Truman | 87 (1945) | 3 (1945) |
Graphs
- Gallup Poll graphs of approval ratings for presidents of the United States
See also
- Historical rankings of presidents of the United States
- Opinion polling on the Donald Trump administration
Notes
- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters - ^ Only the results of Gallup polls are included as no other poll results exist for presidents before President Clinton.
- ^ Last of eight, sometimes overlapping, 3-day averages.
- ^ 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. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
- ^ "How Popular Is Joe Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "President Biden Job Approval". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Daily Presidential Tracking Poll". Rasmussen Reports. July 8, 2021.
- ^ "The Economist/YouGov Poll" (PDF). YouGov. July 6, 2021.
- ^ "Global Leader Approval Tracker". Morning Consult. July 8, 2021.
- ^ "Léger North American Tracker" (PDF). Léger. July 5, 2021.
- ^ Graham, Jed (July 6, 2021). "President Biden's Job Approval Slides, Honeymoon Appears Over: IBD/TIPP". Investors' Business Daily.
- ^ "Ipsos Poll Core Political Data" (PDF). Ipsos. July 1, 2021.
- ^ "Poll: Biden approval stands steady at 60 percent". The Hill. June 16, 2021.
- ^ "June 27-30, 2021 Washington Post-ABC News poll crosstabs". ABC News and The Washington Post. June 27–30, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Presidential Approval Ratings – Gallup Historical Statistics and Trends". Gallup. 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.
- ^ "Biden Job Approval a Respectable 57% at 100 Days". Gallup.com. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
- ^ "Gallup.com". Gallup.com. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ "Gallup.com". Gallup.com. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ "Gallup.com". Gallup.com. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Gallup Daily: Trump Job Approval". Gallup. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ^ "Trump Job Approval (Weekly)". Gallup. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
- ^ "Presidential Approval Ratings -- Donald Trump". Gallup. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- ^ Jeffrey M. Jones (April 24, 2018). "Trump's Fifth-Quarter Job Approval Up; Still Historically Low". Gallup.
- ^ Graphical display and numbers of Gallup "daily tracking" polls
- ^ "Presidential Approval Ratings -- Barack Obama".
- ^ "Gallup.com". Gallup.com. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
- ^ "Presidential Approval Ratings -- Bill Clinton". gallup.com. 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Inc, Gallup (February 4, 2021). "Biden Begins Term With 57% Job Approval". Gallup.com.
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External links
- "Historical Presidential Job Performance Ratings". Roper Center.
- "Trump approval ratings". FiveThirtyEight.
- "Midterm Presidential Approval Ratings". Data360.
- "President Job Approval Ratings". PresidentPollsUSA.
- "Historical Presidential Approval Ratings 1945–2009". The Wall Street Journal.
- "President Obama's Ongoing Job Approval". (CongressRatings)