Approval Ratings

Saw an interesting chart* today listing approval ratings for presidents since Harry S. Truman. Here it is:


Some things I noted, with no particular partisan angle:

• Truman had the largest point drop (65 points)—highest high & lowest low—87% in 1946 to 22% in 1952.


• Only three presidents have ever had over 80% approval ratings: Truman, Bush I & Bush II.


• Truman had the lowest rating. Nixon was a point behind him.


• Clinton was the only president to have a higher approval rating when he left office than when he became president.

In other news, Paris Hilton is going back to jail.



*Sources: Gallup, AP, WSJ.com research NOTES: Plotted points are the averages of all approval polls taken by Gallup in each three-month period of each presidency. The first two points for Johnson and Ford are for polls taken in their first two months. Key dates are marked next to the poll results for the three-month period in which they took place.