Poll Reveals Our Most – and Least –
Popular Heads of State
Who is your most or least favorite U.S. president?
In 2021 London-based data analytics group YouGov polled 3,000 U.S. citizens on their views of the 45 men who have occupied the highest office in the land. Here’s how the chief executives fared in this popularity contest:
Top Dogs
Topping the list, with an 80% favorability rating, is Abraham Lincoln. As slave emancipator and savior of the Union, Lincoln is regarded as one of our country’s most beloved heroes. His rise from humble origins to the highest office in the land is the stuff of legends.
In second place is John F. Kennedy, of whom 73% of Americans hold a favorable opinion.
The more traditional runner-up — George Washington — places third with 70%, although more people hold a “very favorable” view of Washington than Kennedy.
Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt complete the top five most popular presidents, both of whom are viewed favorably by 62% of Americans. Rounding out the top 10 are:
- Dwight Eisenhower (58%)
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (58%)
- Ronald Reagan (54%)
- Barack Obama (54%) and
- Harry Truman (51%).
Underdogs
Richard Nixon is the most unpopular U.S. president for the majority of Americans (57%), followed by Donald Trump (54%), Joe Biden (44%), George W. Bush (44%), and George H.W. Bush (43%).
Where’s the Party?
When sorted by political party, Democrats regard Barack Obama most favorably of all (89%), and Donald Trump least favorably (8%).
Republicans rank Abe Lincoln as number one (86%), and Joe Biden as their least favorite (11%).
Independents also rate Lincoln and Biden as the most liked and disliked, respectively.
President Who?
And then there are those chief executives whose names don’t quite ring a bell for a large portion of the population.
Chester A. Arthur (see photo at right) has the dubious honor of topping this list. Other unknowns include John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, Martin van Buren, and Zachary Taylor.
Some historians would also list Rutherford B. Hayes and both Harrisons (Benjamin and William Henry) among the most forgettable — and forgotten — heads of state.
But then, not everyone can be an Abe Lincoln.
Sources:
Featured Image: Pixabay
YouGov