Gallup reported on presidential job approval beginning in 1938. From 1938 to 2008, this reporting was based on reporting job approval ratings from discrete, multiday surveys.
From 2009-2017, Gallup measured presidential approval using daily sampling and interviewing on its tracking survey, reporting the results as three-day rolling averages.
In 2018, Gallup measured presidential job approval using weekly sampling and interviewing on its tracking survey, reporting the results as weekly averages. The 2017 three-day rolling averages were replaced in the trend by 2017 weekly averages to maintain consistency in reporting on Donald Trump's presidency.
From 2019 to 2025, Gallup returned to its 1938-2008 practice of reporting job approval ratings from its discrete, multiday surveys.
Gallup's historical presidential approval ratings can be found in the following locations:
Gallup's Methodology
Until 1989, Gallup conducted interviews using face-to-face interviews.
After 1989, Gallup conducted all of its polls by telephone.
In 2008, Gallup's national Random Digit Dialing (RDD) telephone samples included cellphone interviews for the first time; subsequently, the proportion of cellphone interviews steadily increased.
