Zogby Analytics conducted an online survey of 1,000 adults from 12/30/2024 - 1/1/2025 in the US. Surveyed adults were asked to rate the last fifteen presidents on a scale of great, near great, average, below average and failure.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (32nd President)-FDR finished second again in our presidential greatness poll. Nearly one third (31%) of surveyed adults said he was great as president, while slightly less said he was near great (28%). Nearly three in five surveyed adults (59%) said he was either great or near great, while less than one quarter (24%) said he was below average/failure combined. As expected, FDR was most popular with Democrats (64% great/near great), whites (62% great/near great), and voters over the age of 65 (67% great/near great). The only group where there was not a majority that rated him great or near great was 18-29-year-olds (44% great/near great, 30% below average/poor). FDR also received high marks among all surveyed political parties.
Harry Truman (33rd President)- He did not fare as well. A plurality (34%) of surveyed adults thought he was average as president. Overall, only 39% combined thought he was great or near great. Not one subgroup gave him a majority combined rating where he was perceived as great or near great. Truman was rated the same with Democrats (42% great/near great) as Republicans (42% great and near great) and did his best with adults aged 65+ (46% great/near great).
Dwight Eisenhower (34th President)- Ike's ranking was in between that of FDR and Truman. The popular WWII general received a 47% combined great or near great score. Thirty percent thought he was average, while 6% combined thought he was below average or a failure. A majority (51%) of Republicans rated him well, as did nearly half of Democrats (48% great/near great). Eisenhower was most popular among surveyed adults who were white (50% great/near great), older adults aged 65+ (60% great/near great), and men (54% great/near great).
John F. Kennedy (35th President)- JFK received the highest rating among all presidents surveyed. Two-thirds (67%) of surveyed adults rated John F. Kennedy either great or near great as President. Only one in five rated him average, and even less said he was below average or a failure (5%). JFK was rated at least near great by a majority in every sub-group. Surprisingly, Kennedy was slightly more popular with Republicans (70% great/near great) than Democrats (68% great/near great) and middle-aged adults 30-49 (70% great/near great) than those aged 65+ (68% great/near great). Kennedy was also more likely to be rated at least near great by African Americans (73% great/near great) compared to whites (68% great/near great).
Lyndon Johnson (36th President)- Of the older group of presidents we surveyed among adults, LBJ was considered one of the bigger busts. Almost one in five combined rated him below average or a failure (18%). Only 30% combined rated him as great or near great. One third rated his time as commander in chief as average. Not one subgroup even remotely came close to giving him a high rating (a majority great/near great) for his time as president.
Nixon (37th President)- Of the fifteen presidents of the modern era rated by adults in this poll, Nixon, surprisingly was not rated the worst by surveyed adults. As time has passed since his tumultuous presidency, he has been forgiven slightly and remembered by less people. Nearly one in five said he was a failure and 41% combined said he was below average or a failure. No big surprise that Republicans (11%) saw him the least as a failure, and so did voters age 18-29 (10%), albeit younger voters were the most unsure (24%).
Gerald Ford (38th President)- Most surveyed adults (55%) said President Ford was average or below average. Nearly one quarter combined said he was great or near great. A majority of almost all subgroups rate Ford either average or below average. The only other groups where this was not the case were adults under the age of fifty years, which was on account of so many not being sure (29%) about his rating.
Jimmy Carter (39th President)- A plurality rated Jimmy Carter as average (27%), but a combined 41% rated him as great or near great, while 22% rated him below average or a failure. A majority of Democrats rated him as great or near great (59%). Republicans (35% great/near great) and Independents (30% great/near great) were not so kind. 50-64-year-olds (46% great/near great) were most likely to view Carter's presidency as a success compared to other age groups. Younger voters aged 18-29 were least likely to rate him as at least near great (35% great/near great, 15% below average/failure). This can be attributed to the fact they were the most unsure (28%). Carter was also most popular with African Americans (59% great/near great) compared to only 38% (great/near great combined) of white surveyed adults.
Ronald Reagan (40th President)- Almost one third (32%) rated Ronald Reagan as a great president; a majority (55%) rated him as either great or near great. Another quarter of surveyed voters rated his presidency average and only 5% said he was a failure. Almost three quarters combined (74%) of Republicans rated him as great or near great. Forty-five percent of Independents rated him great or near great, while almost the same amount (44%) of Democrats rated him below average or a failure. The only groups where most surveyed adults did not rate President Reagan at least near great were the youngest voters 18-29 (41% great/near great) and African Americans (44% great/near great). Not surprisingly, Reagan's highest marks came from white voters (69% great/near great) and adults aged 50-64 (63% great/near great).
George H.W. Bush (41st President) -George Herbert Walker Bush was rated very average in our survey. Thirty-seven percent rated Bush Senior, and Reagan's former vice president, average. One third combined rated him as great or near great during his one term as president. As expected, Republicans gave him his highest praise. Forty-four percent combined rated him great or near great. Democrats were the least forgiving, as 11% said he was a failure compared to 7% overall.
Bill Clinton (42nd President)- A respectable 20% said the former two term president from Arkansas was great; the same amount said he was near great (40% great/near great combined). Half (10%) as many said he was a failure. Democrats had a different view, as 58% combined said he was great or near great; 28% said he was great. Fifteen percent of Republicans thought he was a failure. Age and race also played a factor in how Clinton was remembered as commander in chief. Adults aged 30-49 years old were very favorable of the president (51% great/near great) while the oldest voters aged 65+ were not nostalgic-only 31% combined rated him great or near great.
George W. Bush (43rd President)-Overall, the second Bush elected president faired poorer than his one term father, even though Bush junior served two terms in the White House. Less than one third combined rated him great or near great (31%). More than one third (35%) rated him average. One quarter rated him below average, and a failure combined. Neither Democrats (15% great) nor Republicans (18% great) had much fondness for the former Texan. Older adults aged 50+ (27% great/near great) rated Bush junior's time in the White House less favorably compared to younger voters under the age of 50 (36% great /near great). African Americans (38% great/near great) were more positive toward George W. than whites (29% great/near great) and Hispanics (34% great/near great).
Barack Obama (44th President) -He received a good rating from surveyed voters (50% great/near great). His great rating was slightly higher than FDR's (32% and 31% great, respectively) and 18% also rated him near great. He also received the third highest failure rating (19%) behind Biden (38%) and Trump (28%), while tied with Nixon (19%). Obama's numbers were better than most but were driven by his base of supporters-Democrats (81% great/near great), younger voters aged 18-29 (59% great/near great), and minorities- African Americans (74% great/near great), Hispanics (54% great/near great) and Asians (67% great/near great).
Donald Trump (45th President)-While surveyed adults were hot or cold with Obama, Trump too experienced this type of reaction, accept with more intensity! Trump's 30% great rating was higher than most presidents polled, and an additional 17% said he was near great, but only 12% thought he was average, while the second highest amount in the survey (28%) thought he was an outright failure. More Republicans (57%) thought Trump was great, which is the same amount of Democrats who thought Obama was great too. Age and where surveyed adults lived played a part in how they rated Trump's presidency. Adults aged 30-49 (52% great/near great) were more likely to feel better about Trump's presidency than older adults aged 50-64 (42% great/near great); Rural adults were Trump's most popular segment, as 64% rated him great or near great, while urban adults were not as sanguine. Two in five rated him a failure.
Joe Biden (46th President)-Because of the many disastrous polices enacted under his watch, Biden was rated with the highest failure rating (38%). A combined quarter of his own party rated him below average or a failure. The numbers did not get better: less than one quarter of surveyed adults (22%) rated him at least near great. Younger voters and Hispanics, who turned on him in his failed reelection bid, were overly critical of the Biden presidency. Nearly one third of both groups rated his presidency a failure.
Five Key Takeaways
- Camelot is American royalty-John F. Kennedy is our top-rated president again. Although he did not serve long and was tragically assassinated, surveyed adults remember him more fondly than FDR.
- Reagan is steadily cementing his place as one of the great presidents of the modern era. Large numbers of Democrats and Independents rated him great or near great.
- Obama remains popular with surveyed adults but was somewhat eclipsed by the recent passing of President Jimmy Carter, whose numbers improved since our last poll. Obama also had a high failure rating, which was the same as President Nixon. Since our last poll his rating has risen.
- Trump was viewed in extreme terms on both ends of the spectrum. Surveyed adults that lean Republican loved him, while those who were Democrats loathed him. Trump's next term will determine if he is remembered as one of the great Republican presidents or a failure.
- Biden's rating was horrendous. While he was president, prices and crime spiraled out of control, wages stagnated, and certain parts of the world became more unstable. It is amazing that more did not rate him a failure. In the eyes of some, there is no undoing the damage to his legacy and Americans. Time will tell.
