A Look at Presidental Approval Ratings

Much has been made of our President’s historically low approval ratings, so I wanted to put some context to the numbers.  Thanks to the Roper Center Public Opinion Archives, I was able to do just that.

Bush’s low of 19% is the lowest of all presidents in the age of polling.  That number came in September of last year.  The next lowest approval was achieved by Truman (22%), followed by Nixon (23%).

Bush also had the highest approval rating of any president at 92%.  This was in early October 2001 (after September 11, 2001).  His Dad has the next highest at 89%, followed by Truman at 87%.  Both Bush Sr. and Truman had their highest approval ratings right after Wars (Bush after the Gulf War and Truman after WWII).

I put together a few charts, the most interesting of which I think is the Outgoing Minus Incoming Approval Rating.  It gives you a sense whether expectations were exceeded or dashed.

Outgoing Minus Incoming Approval Rating

The following chart shows the lowest &  highest approval rating for each president.  Bush Jr has set the bar on both ends.

Lowest & Highest Approval Ratings for US Presidents

This last chart shows the difference between the highest & lowest approval rating.  It’s one way to measure how much of a ‘roller coaster ride’ the presidency was.  Bush Jr takes the cake here, too.

Highest Minus Lowest Approval Rating

So, what are the expectations of the Obama presidency?  According to Gallup, 65% of Americans are confident in his ability to be a good president.  Time will tell.

Of course, public opinion and approval ratings are fickle things.  But it is helpful to put context to Bush’s numbers as he leaves office, and look at other trends that emerge from the data.