GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- The latest USA Today/Gallup update on George W. Bush's presidential job approval rating finds 36% of Americans approving of the job Bush is doing, while 57% disapprove. This represents a modest improvement in that measure from recent weeks, a finding mirrored in several other national surveys.
In early May, just 31% approved of Bush, marking the low point of his administration to date. A subsequent poll in May found a 33% rating for Bush. The current rating of 36% is in line with Bush's public standing in March and April.
While it is difficult to pinpoint a precise reason for Bush's improved rating, several events in recent weeks may have had an impact: Gas prices have stabilized (though they remain high), Bush's nomination of Henry Paulson as Secretary of the Treasury has been well-received, Bush addressed the nation regarding immigration, and he admitted some mistakes in his prior statements on the wars in Iraq and against Osama bin Laden.
The June 1-4 poll shows about a 10 percentage-point increase in Bush's approval rating among Republicans, from 69% in the two May polls to 78% in the current poll. Independents' (25% in May, 28% currently) and Democrats' (8% at both times) ratings of Bush have held steady, so the modest improvement in recent weeks is mostly due to more positive evaluations from Bush's own partisans.
Even with the slight improvement, Bush's ratings remain among the worst of his presidency. He has not been at 40% approval since February, and has not been at 50% approval in over a year (May 2005). He has not been above the 50% mark since March 2005.
After a stellar 62% average approval rating during his first four-year term in office, Bush has averaged just 43% since his second inauguration in January 2005.
By historical standards, Bush's current 36% rating is not the worst of presidents at similar points in their second terms. Nixon's 28% -- measured two months before he resigned office -- holds that distinction. Truman's 37% rating is the closest to Bush's. The other second-term presidents were near 50% or above it.
|
President |
Dates of Poll |
Approval Rating |
|
|
% |
|
|
Truman |
Jun 4-9 1950 |
37 |
|
Eisenhower |
May 28-Jun 2 1958 |
54 |
|
Johnson |
Jun 16-21 1966 |
48 |
|
Nixon |
May 31-Jun 3 1974 |
28 |
|
Reagan |
Jun 6-9 1986 |
61 |
|
Clinton |
Jun 5-7 1998 |
60 |
|
Bush |
Jun 1-4 2006 |
36 |
Of historical note is that the parties of Truman, Nixon, and Johnson all suffered heavy losses in the midterm elections held in those years. One difference between these historical points in time and now is that two years earlier each president won a landslide re-election victory or the president's party made large gains in congressional seats in that election. Neither applied to Bush in 2004, who won by a slim margin over John Kerry while Republicans picked up a modest 11 House seats, aided in part by redistricting in Texas.
Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,002 adults, aged 18 and older, conducted June 1-4, 2006. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?
|
Approve |
Disapprove |
No opinion |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2006 |
|
|
|
|
2006 Jun 1-4 |
36 |
57 |
6 |
|
2006 May 8-11 |
33 |
61 |
6 |
|
2006 May 5-7 |
31 |
65 |
5 |
|
2006 Apr 28-30 |
34 |
63 |
3 |
|
2006 Apr 10-13 |
36 |
59 |
5 |
|
2006 Apr 7-9 |
37 |
60 |
3 |
|
2006 Mar 13-16 |
37 |
59 |
5 |
|
2006 Mar 10-12 |
36 |
60 |
4 |
|
2006 Feb 28-Mar 1 |
38 |
60 |
2 |
|
2006 Feb 9-12 |
39 |
56 |
4 |
|
2006 Feb 6-9 |
42 |
55 |
4 |
|
2006 Jan 20-22 |
43 |
54 |
4 |
|
2006 Jan 9-12 |
43 |
53 |
4 |
|
2006 Jan 6-8 |
43 |
54 |
3 |
|
2005 |
|
|
|
|
2005 Dec 19-22 |
43 |
53 |
4 |
|
2005 Dec 16-18 |
41 |
56 |
3 |
|
2005 Dec 9-11 |
42 |
55 |
3 |
|
2005 Dec 5-8 |
43 |
52 |
5 |
|
2005 Nov 17-20 |
38 |
57 |
5 |
|
2005 Nov 11-13 |
37 |
60 |
3 |
|
2005 Nov 7-10 |
40 |
55 |
5 |
|
2005 Oct 28-30 |
41 |
56 |
3 |
|
2005 Oct 24-26 |
41 |
56 |
3 |
|
2005 Oct 21-23 |
42 |
55 |
3 |
|
2005 Oct 13-16 |
39 |
58 |
3 |
|
2005 Sep 26-28 |
45 |
50 |
5 |
|
2005 Sep 16-18 |
40 |
58 |
2 |
|
2005 Sep 12-15 |
45 |
52 |
3 |
|
2005 Sep 8-11 |
46 |
51 |
3 |
|
2005 Aug 28-30 |
45 |
52 |
3 |
|
2005 Aug 22-25 |
40 |
56 |
4 |
|
2005 Aug 8-11 |
45 |
51 |
4 |
|
2005 Aug 5-7 |
45 |
51 |
4 |
|
2005 Jul 25-28 |
44 |
51 |
5 |
|
2005 Jul 22-24 |
49 |
48 |
3 |
|
2005 Jul 7-10 |
49 |
48 |
3 |
|
2005 Jun 29-30 |
46 |
51 |
3 |
|
2005 Jun 24-26 |
45 |
53 |
2 |
|
2005 Jun 16-19 |
47 |
51 |
2 |
|
2005 Jun 6-8 |
47 |
49 |
4 |
|
2005 May 23-26 |
48 |
47 |
5 |
|
2005 May 20-22 |
46 |
50 |
4 |
|
2005 May 2-5 |
50 |
45 |
5 |
|
2005 Apr 29-May 1 |
48 |
49 |
3 |
|
2005 Apr 18-21 |
48 |
49 |
3 |
|
2005 Apr 4-7 |
50 |
45 |
5 |
|
2005 Apr 1-2 |
48 |
48 |
4 |
|
2005 Mar 21-23 |
45 |
49 |
6 |
|
2005 Mar 18-20 |
52 |
44 |
4 |
|
2005 Mar 7-10 |
52 |
44 |
4 |
|
2005 Feb 25-26 |
52 |
45 |
3 |
|
2005 Feb 21-24 |
51 |
45 |
4 |
|
2005 Feb 7-10 |
49 |
48 |
3 |
|
2005 Feb 4-6 |
57 |
40 |
3 |
|
2005 Jan 14-16 |
51 |
46 |
3 |
|
2005 Jan 7-9 |
52 |
44 |
4 |
|
2005 Jan 3-5 |
52 |
44 |
4 |
|
2004 |
|
|
|
|
2004 Dec 17-19 |
49 |
46 |
5 |
|
2004 Dec 5-8 |
53 |
44 |
3 |
|
2004 Nov 19-21 |
55 |
42 |
3 |
|
2004 Nov 7-10 |
53 |
44 |
3 |
|
2004 Oct 29-31 |
48 |
47 |
5 |
|
2004 Oct 22-24 |
51 |
46 |
3 |
|
2004 Oct 14-16 |
51 |
47 |
2 |
|
2004 Oct 11-14 |
48 |
49 |
3 |
|
2004 Oct 9-10 |
47 |
49 |
4 |
|
2004 Oct 1-3 |
50 |
48 |
2 |
|
2004 Sep 24-26 |
54 |
44 |
2 |
|
2004 Sep 13-15 |
52 |
45 |
3 |
|
2004 Sep 3-5 |
52 |
46 |
2 |
|
2004 Aug 23-25 |
49 |
47 |
4 |
|
2004 Aug 9-11 |
51 |
46 |
3 |
|
2004 Jul 30-Aug 1 |
48 |
49 |
3 |
|
2004 Jul 19-21 |
49 |
47 |
4 |
|
2004 Jul 8-11 |
47 |
49 |
4 |
|
2004 Jun 21-23 |
48 |
49 |
3 |
|
2004 Jun 3-6 |
49 |
49 |
2 |
|
2004 May 21-23 |
47 |
49 |
4 |
|
2004 May 7-9 |
46 |
51 |
3 |
|
2004 May 2-4 |
49 |
48 |
3 |
|
2004 Apr 16-18 |
52 |
45 |
3 |
|
2004 Apr 5-8 |
52 |
45 |
3 |
|
2004 Mar 26-28 |
53 |
44 |
3 |
|
2004 Mar 8-11 |
50 |
47 |
3 |
|
2004 Mar 5-7 |
49 |
48 |
3 |
|
2004 Feb 16-17 |
51 |
46 |
3 |
|
2004 Feb 9-12 |
51 |
46 |
3 |
|
2004 Feb 6-8 |
52 |
44 |
4 |
|
2004 Jan 29-Feb 1 |
49 |
48 |
3 |
|
2004 Jan 12-15 |
53 |
44 |
3 |
|
2004 Jan 9-11 |
59 |
38 |
3 |
|
2004 Jan 2-5 |
60 |
35 |
5 |
|
2003 |
|
|
|
|
2003 Dec 15-16 |
63 |
34 |
3 |
|
2003 Dec 11-14 |
56 |
41 |
3 |
|
2003 Dec 5-7 |
55 |
43 |
2 |
|
2003 Nov 14-16 |
50 |
47 |
3 |
|
2003 Nov 10-12 |
51 |
45 |
4 |
|
2003 Nov 3-5 |
54 |
43 |
3 |
|
2003 Oct 24-26 |
53 |
42 |
5 |
|
2003 Oct 10-12 |
56 |
40 |
4 |
|
2003 Oct 6-8 |
55 |
42 |
3 |
|
2003 Sep 19-21 |
50 |
47 |
3 |
|
2003 Sep 8-10 |
52 |
43 |
5 |
|
2003 Aug 25-26 |
59 |
37 |
4 |
|
2003 Aug 4-6 |
60 |
36 |
4 |
|
2003 Jul 25-27 |
58 |
38 |
4 |
|
2003 Jul 18-20 |
59 |
38 |
3 |
|
2003 Jul 7-9 |
62 |
34 |
4 |
|
2003 Jun 27-29 |
61 |
36 |
3 |
|
2003 Jun 12-15 |
63 |
33 |
4 |
|
2003 Jun 9-10 |
62 |
34 |
4 |
|
2003 May 30-Jun 1 |
64 |
32 |
4 |
|
2003 May 19-21 |
66 |
30 |
4 |
|
2003 May 5-7 |
69 |
28 |
3 |
|
2003 Apr 22-23 |
70 |
26 |
4 |
|
2003 Apr 14-16 |
71 |
24 |
5 |
|
2003 Apr 7-9 |
69 |
26 |
5 |
|
2003 Apr 5-6 |
70 |
27 |
3 |
|
2003 Mar 29-30 |
71 |
26 |
3 |
|
2003 Mar 24-25 |
69 |
27 |
4 |
|
2003 Mar 22-23 |
71 |
25 |
4 |
|
2003 Mar 14-15 |
58 |
38 |
4 |
|
2003 Mar 3-5 |
57 |
37 |
6 |
|
2003 Feb 24-26 |
57 |
37 |
6 |
|
2003 Feb 17-19 |
58 |
37 |
5 |
|
2003 Feb 7-9 |
61 |
34 |
5 |
|
2003 Feb 3-6 |
59 |
35 |
6 |
|
2003 Jan 31-Feb 2 |
61 |
35 |
4 |
|
2003 Jan 23-25 |
60 |
36 |
4 |
|
2003 Jan 20-22 |
58 |
36 |
6 |
|
2003 Jan 13-16 |
61 |
34 |
5 |
|
2003 Jan 10-12 |
58 |
37 |
5 |
|
2003 Jan 3-5 |
63 |
32 |
5 |
|
2002 |
|
|
|
|
2002 Dec 19-22 |
61 |
32 |
7 |
|
2002 Dec 16-17 |
63 |
33 |
4 |
|
2002 Dec 9-10 |
63 |
32 |
5 |
|
2002 Dec 5-8 |
64 |
29 |
7 |
|
2002 Nov 22-24 |
65 |
28 |
7 |
|
2002 Nov 11-14 |
66 |
26 |
8 |
|
2002 Nov 8-10 |
68 |
27 |
5 |
|
2002 Oct 31-Nov 3 |
63 |
29 |
8 |
|
2002 Oct 21-22 |
67 |
28 |
5 |
|
2002 Oct 14-17 |
62 |
31 |
7 |
|
2002 Oct 3-6 |
67 |
28 |
5 |
|
2002 Sep 23-26 |
68 |
26 |
6 |
|
2002 Sep 20-22 |
66 |
30 |
4 |
|
2002 Sep 13-16 |
70 |
26 |
4 |
|
2002 Sep 5-8 |
66 |
30 |
4 |
|
2002 Sep 2-4 |
66 |
29 |
5 |
|
2002 Aug 19-21 |
65 |
28 |
7 |
|
2002 Aug 5-8 |
68 |
26 |
6 |
|
2002 Jul 29-31 |
71 |
23 |
6 |
|
2002 Jul 26-28 |
69 |
26 |
5 |
|
2002 Jul 22-24 |
69 |
24 |
7 |
|
2002 Jul 9-11 |
73 |
21 |
6 |
|
2002 Jul 5-8 |
76 |
18 |
6 |
|
2002 Jun 28-30 |
76 |
19 |
5 |
|
2002 Jun 21-23 |
73 |
21 |
6 |
|
2002 Jun 17-19 |
74 |
20 |
6 |
|
2002 Jun 7-8 |
74 |
18 |
8 |
|
2002 Jun 3-6 |
70 |
23 |
7 |
|
2002 May 28-29 |
77 |
17 |
6 |
|
2002 May 20-22 |
76 |
17 |
7 |
|
2002 May 6-9 |
76 |
19 |
5 |
|
2002 Apr 29-May 1 |
77 |
20 |
3 |
|
2002 Apr 22-24 |
77 |
17 |
6 |
|
2002 Apr 8-11 |
75 |
20 |
5 |
|
2002 Apr 5-7 |
76 |
19 |
5 |
|
2002 Mar 22-24 |
79 |
17 |
4 |
|
2002 Mar 18-20 |
79 |
16 |
5 |
|
2002 Mar 8-9 |
80 |
14 |
6 |
|
2002 Mar 4-7 |
77 |
18 |
5 |
|
2002 Mar 1-3 |
81 |
14 |
5 |
|
2002 Feb 8-10 |
82 |
14 |
4 |
|
2002 Feb 4-6 |
82 |
14 |
4 |
|
2002 Jan 25-27 |
84 |
13 |
3 |
|
2002 Jan 11-14 |
83 |
13 |
4 |
|
2002 Jan 7-9 |
84 |
12 |
4 |
|
2001 |
|
|
|
|
2001 Dec 14-16 |
86 |
11 |
3 |
|
2001 Dec 6-9 |
86 |
10 |
4 |
|
2001 Nov 26-27 |
87 |
8 |
5 |
|
2001 Nov 8-11 |
87 |
9 |
4 |
|
2001 Nov 2-4 |
87 |
9 |
4 |
|
2001 Oct 19-21 |
88 |
9 |
3 |
|
2001 Oct 11-14 |
89 |
8 |
3 |
|
2001 Oct 5-6 |
87 |
10 |
3 |
|
2001 Sep 21-22 |
90 |
6 |
4 |
|
2001 Sep 14-15 |
86 |
10 |
4 |
|
2001 Sep 7-10 |
51 |
39 |
10 |
|
2001 Aug 24-26 |
55 |
36 |
9 |
|
2001 Aug 16-19 |
57 |
34 |
9 |
|
2001 Aug 10-12 |
57 |
35 |
8 |
|
2001 Aug 3-5 |
55 |
35 |
10 |
|
2001 Jul 19-22 |
56 |
33 |
11 |
|
2001 Jul 10-11 |
57 |
35 |
8 |
|
2001 Jun 28-Jul 1 |
52 |
34 |
14 |
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
55 |
33 |
12 |
|
2001 Jun 8-10 |
55 |
35 |
10 |
|
2001 May 18-20 |
56 |
36 |
8 |
|
2001 May 10-14 |
56 |
31 |
13 |
|
2001 May 7-9 |
53 |
33 |
14 |
|
2001 Apr 20-22 |
62 |
29 |
9 |
|
2001 Apr 6-8 |
59 |
30 |
11 |
|
2001 Mar 26-28 |
53 |
29 |
18 |
|
2001 Mar 9-11 |
58 |
29 |
13 |
|
2001 Mar 5-7 |
63 |
22 |
15 |
|
2001 Feb 19-21 |
62 |
21 |
17 |
|
2001 Feb 9-11 |
57 |
25 |
18 |
|
2001 Feb 1-4 |
57 |
25 |
18 |