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How Do the Presidents Rank?

Presidential surveys on the web

by Ann-Marie Imbornoni

Five Best Presidents

Five Worst Presidents

Courtesy:C-SPAN

Rankings Over Time

In recent years surveys of presidential greatness have become more common and more complex. Nevertheless, the top- and bottom-ranked presidents have remained a fairly stable group, with the rest moving up or down in rank in the middle. Presidents who appear to have moved up include Eisenhower and Reagan, while Kennedy has moved down in some surveys.

Do Surveys Reflect the Truth?

Critics of the surveys are quick to note that such rankings are biased, depending on who is doing the ranking. And how exactly is greatness defined? Presidents who served during a time of war or acute economic crisis would have a certain advantage over those whose terms were relatively peaceful and prosperous. Also, the passage of time can have an effect on how a president is ranked, given that new information or analysis can change the way we view a particular chief executive.

Still, the survey results can be a fun and interesting departure point for learning more about the relative strengths and weaknesses of the presidents. Here is a sampling of some surveys that can be viewed on the web.

Presidential Approval Ratings, Since 1950
Below are the highest and lowest approval ratings ever received by a president in a national opinion poll throughout his presidency.

President	Highest Rating	Lowest Rating
Harry Truman	87%	23%
Dwight Eisenhower	79%	48%
John F. Kennedy	83%	56%
Lyndon Johnson	79%	35%
Richard Nixon	67%	24%
Gerald Ford	71%	37%
Jimmy Carter	75%	28%
Ronald Reagan	68%	35%
George H.W. Bush	89%	29%
Bill Clinton	73%	37%
George W. Bush	90%	29%

Source: Can West News Service; CNN; "The Ups and Downs of Presidential Popularity," Ron Faucheux, Campaigns and Elections magazine.

C-SPAN Survey of Presidential Leadership
C-SPAN is a private, non-profit information service, providing televised coverage of the proceedings of the U.S. Congress and other public affairs programming 24 hours a day. The survey, however, just covers past presidents, not the current one.

The Roper Center's Presidential Job Approval Ratings
Located at the University of Connecticut, the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research is a major repository of public opinion data. This survey includes the current president, George W. Bush.

Federalist Society—Wall Street Journal Survey on Presidents

The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is an organization of conservatives and libertarians seeking to promote the ideals of individual liberty, limited government, and rule of law within the legal system.

The Siena Research Institute of Siena College, Loudonville, NY, conducts regional, statewide, and national surveys on a variety of issues. The surveys include expert and public opinion polls.