Historical rankings of presidents of the United States

In political studies, surveys have been conducted in order to construct historical rankings of the success of the presidents of the United States. Ranking systems are usually based on surveys of academic historians and political scientists or popular opinion. The rankings focus on presidential achievements, leadership qualities, failures, and faults.[1][2][3]

In the 1920s, sculptor Gutzon Borglum and President Calvin Coolidge selected George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln to appear on Mount Rushmore—it later became an iconic symbol of presidential greatness.

General findings

Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and George Washington are most often listed as the three highest-rated presidents among historians. The remaining places within the Top 10 are often rounded out by Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Harry S. Truman, Woodrow Wilson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Andrew Jackson, and John F. Kennedy. More recent presidents such as Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton are often rated among the greatest in public opinion polls, but do not always rank as highly among presidential scholars and historians. The bottom 10 often include James Buchanan, Warren G. Harding, Andrew Johnson, Franklin Pierce, Millard Fillmore, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump. Because William Henry Harrison (31 days) and James A. Garfield (200 days, incapacitated after 119 days) both died shortly after taking office, they are often omitted from presidential rankings. Furthermore, Zachary Taylor died after serving as president for only 16 months, but he is usually included. In the case of these three, it is not clear whether they received low rankings due to their actions as president or because each was in office for such a limited time that it is not possible to assess them more thoroughly.

Political scientist Walter Dean Burnham noted the "dichotomous or schizoid profiles" of presidents, which can make some hard to classify. Historian Alan Brinkley stated that "there are presidents who could be considered both failures and great or near great (for example, Nixon)". Historian and political scientist James MacGregor Burns observed of Nixon: "How can one evaluate such an idiosyncratic president, so brilliant and so morally lacking?"[4]

Notable scholar surveys
Abraham Lincoln is often considered the greatest president for his leadership during the American Civil War and his eloquence in speeches such as the Gettysburg Address.
James Buchanan is often considered the worst president for his inept leadership during the years leading up to the Civil War.

The 1948 poll was conducted by historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr. of Harvard University.[1] The 1962 survey was also conducted by Schlesinger, who surveyed 75 historians.[5] Schlesinger's son, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., conducted another poll in 1996.[6]

The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents also gives the results of the 1982 survey, a poll of 49 historians conducted by the Chicago Tribune. A notable difference from the 1962 Schlesinger poll was the ranking of Dwight D. Eisenhower, which rose from 22nd in 1962 to 9th in 1982.

The 1996 column shows the results from a poll conducted from 1988 to 1996 by William J. Ridings Jr. and Stuart B. McIver and published in Rating The Presidents: A Ranking of U.S. Leaders, from the Great and Honorable to the Dishonest and Incompetent.[7] More than 719 people took part in the poll, primarily academic historians and political scientists, although some politicians and celebrities also took part. Participants from every state were included and emphasis was placed upon getting input from female historians and "specialists in African-American studies" as well as a few non-American historians. Poll respondents rated the presidents in five categories (leadership qualities, accomplishments and crisis management, political skill, appointments and character and integrity) and the results were tabulated to create the overall ranking.

A 2000 survey by The Wall Street Journal consisted of an "ideologically balanced group of 132 prominent professors of history, law, and political science". This poll sought to include an equal number of liberals and conservatives in the survey as the editors argued that previous polls were dominated by either one group or the other. According to the editors, this poll included responses from more women, minorities and young professors than the 1996 Schlesinger poll. The editors noted that the results of their poll were "remarkably similar" to the 1996 Schlesinger poll, with the main difference in the 2000 poll being the lower rankings for the 1960s presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy and higher ranking of President Ronald Reagan at 8th. Franklin D. Roosevelt still ranked in the top three.

Another presidential poll was conducted by The Wall Street Journal in 2005, with James Lindgren of Northwestern University Law School for the Federalist Society.[8] As in the 2000 survey, the editors sought to balance the opinions of liberals and conservatives, adjusting the results "to give Democratic- and Republican-leaning scholars equal weight". Franklin D. Roosevelt still ranked in the top three, but editor James Taranto noted that Democratic-leaning scholars rated George W. Bush the sixth-worst president of all time while Republican scholars rated him the sixth-best, giving him a split-decision rating of "average".

The Siena College Research Institute of Siena College has conducted surveys in 1982, 1990, 1994, 2002, 2010, and 2018—during the second year of the first term of each president since Ronald Reagan.[9] These surveys collect presidential rankings from historians, political scientists, and presidential scholars in a range of attributes, abilities, and accomplishments.[10] The 1994 survey placed only two presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, above 80 points and two presidents, Andrew Johnson and Warren G. Harding, below 50 points.[11][12]

A 2006 Siena College poll of 744 professors reported the following results:[13]

  • "George W. Bush has just finished five years as President. If today were the last day of his presidency, how would you rank him? The responses were: Great: 2%; Near Great: 5%; Average: 11%; Below Average: 24%; Failure: 58%"
  • "In your judgment, do you think he has a realistic chance of improving his rating?" Two-thirds (67%) responded no; less than a quarter (23%) responded yes; and 10% chose "no opinion or not applicable"

Thomas Kelly, professor emeritus of American studies at Siena College, said: "President Bush would seem to have small hope for high marks from the current generation of practicing historians and political scientists. In this case, current public opinion polls actually seem to cut the President more slack than the experts do". Douglas Lonnstrom, Siena College professor of statistics and director of the Siena Research Institute, stated: "In our 2002 presidential rating, with a group of experts comparable to this current poll, President Bush ranked 23rd of 42 presidents. That was shortly after 9/11. Clearly, the professors do not think things have gone well for him in the past few years. These are the experts that teach college students today and will write the history of this era tomorrow".[13]

In 2008, The Times daily newspaper of London asked eight of its own "top international and political commentators" to rank all 42 presidents "in order of greatness".[14]

The C-SPAN Survey of Presidential Leadership consists of rankings from a group of presidential historians and biographers. The C-SPAN Survey of Presidential Leadership has taken place three times: in 2000, 2009 and 2017.[15][16][17] The most recent survey was of 91 presidential historians, surveyed by C-SPAN's Academic Advisor Team, made up of Douglas G. Brinkley, Edna Greene Medford and Richard Norton Smith. In the survey, each historian rates each president on a scale of one ("not effective") to 10 ("very effective") on presidential leadership in ten categories: Public Persuasion, Crisis Leadership, Economic Management, Moral Authority, International Relations, Administrative Skills, Relations with Congress, Vision/Setting An Agenda, Pursued Equal Justice for All and Performance Within the Context of His Times—with each category equally weighed.[18] The results of all three C-SPAN surveys have been fairly consistent. Abraham Lincoln has taken the highest ranking in each survey and George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt have always ranked in the top five while James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson and Franklin Pierce have been ranked at the bottom of all three surveys.[17]

The 2010 Siena poll of 238 presidential scholars found that former president George W. Bush was ranked 39th out of 43, with poor ratings in handling of the economy, communication, ability to compromise, foreign policy accomplishments and intelligence. Meanwhile, the then-current president Barack Obama was ranked 15th out of 43, with high ratings for imagination, communication ability and intelligence and a low rating for background (family, education and experience).[19][20]

In 2011, through the agency of its United States Presidency Centre (USPC), the Institute for the Study of the Americas (located in the University of London's School of Advanced Study) released the first ever United Kingdom academic survey to rate presidents. This polled the opinion of British specialists in American history and politics to assess presidential performance. They also gave an interim assessment of Barack Obama, but his unfinished presidency was not included in the survey. (Had he been included, he would have attained eighth place overall.)[21]

In 2012, Newsweek magazine asked a panel of historians to rank the ten best presidents since 1900. The results showed that historians had ranked Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, Woodrow Wilson, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama as the best since that year.[22]

A 2013 History News Network poll of 203 American historians, when asked to rate Obama's presidency on an A–F scale, gave him a B- grade. Obama, whom historians graded using 15 separate measures plus an overall grade, was rated most highly in the categories of communication ability, integrity and crisis management; and most poorly for his relationship with Congress, transparency, and accountability.[23]

A 2015 poll administered by the American Political Science Association (APSA) among political scientists specializing in the American presidency had Abraham Lincoln in the top spot, with George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bill Clinton, Andrew Jackson, and Woodrow Wilson making the top 10.[24] APSA conducted a repeat of this poll in 2018, with Donald Trump appearing for the first time, in last position.[25]

The 2018 Siena poll of 157 presidential scholars reported George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson as the top five US presidents, with SCRI director Don Levy stating, "The top five, Mount Rushmore plus FDR, is carved in granite with presidential historians...."[26] Donald Trump—entering the SCRI survey for the first time—joined Andrew Johnson, James Buchanan, Warren G. Harding, and Franklin Pierce among the bottom five US presidents. George W. Bush, whom presidential scholars had rated among the bottom five in the previous 2010 survey, improved to a position in the third quartile.

Scholar survey results
Within each column
Blue backgrounds indicate first quartile.[lower-alpha 1]
Green backgrounds indicate second quartile.
Orange backgrounds indicate third quartile.
Red backgrounds indicate fourth quartile.

Note: click the "sort" icon at the head of each column to view the rankings for each survey in numerical order.

Within each row
Columns are ordered by date of survey. Within each row, the number of presidents ranked by the reported survey generally increases from left to right, making it difficult to directly compare individual rankings, especially when widely separated.
The quartile colour scheme corrects for this effect, but at substantial loss in resolution.
A sudden colour change within a row does not necessarily suggest a revision of historical perspective; this could also be due to a long-term trend toward more valiant or more execrable presidents.
Two presidents that do seem to have experienced a revision in relative ranks are Grover Cleveland and George H. W. Bush, with the former ahead in most rankings before 2009 and the later ahead in most rankings after 2009.
But one must also be careful in this style of comparison because some sources are reported multiple time, such as Siena in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1996, 2002, 2010, and 2018 and so apparent "trends" may predominantly represent a change within a single tradition of evaluation.
No.
[lower-alpha 2]
[lower-alpha 3]		 President Political party
Schl. 1962[5]
M-B 1982
CT 1982
Siena 1982
Siena 1990
Siena 1994
R-McI 1996[7]
C-SPAN 2000
WSJ 2000
Siena 2002
WSJ 2005[8]
C-2009[27]
Siena 2010[19][20]
USPC 2011[21]
APSA 2015[24]
C-2017[28]
APSA 2018[25]
Siena 2018[29]
Most frequent quartile
1 George Washington Independent020203020404040302 (tie)03010401020403020202011
2 John Adams Federalist09100915101412141116131213171712151914142
3 Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican05050405020305040407040504070504050705051
4 James Madison Democratic-Republican14121417090809101718150917200614131712072
5 James Monroe Democratic-Republican12181516151115131514160816140713161318082
6 John Quincy Adams Democratic-Republican11131619171617181819201725191920222123182
7 Andrew Jackson Democratic06060707130911080513061310131409091815191
8 Martin Van Buren Democratic15172018212122212130232427312327253427253
9 William Henry Harrison Whig – – – –26352835 –37 –36 –3935 –393842394
10 John Tyler Independent[30]22252828343334343236343735353737363937374
11 James K. Polk Democratic1008 (tie)1210121314110912101109121216191420122
12 Zachary Taylor Whig25242726293433292928313433293333333135303
13 Millard Fillmore Whig24262931323235363135353836373835373738384
14 Franklin Pierce Democratic272831333536373733 (tie)3937 (tie)3938404039404141404
15 James Buchanan Democratic26293334373839403841394140424240434343434
16 Abraham Lincoln Republican01010101030202010101020202010302010101031
17 Andrew Johnson National Union[31]19233230383940393740364237414336414240444
18 Ulysses S. Grant Republican283035323637383833 (tie)33323529232629282221244
19 Rutherford B. Hayes Republican13142222222324252326222724333130303229323
20 James A. Garfield Republican – – – –25302630 –29 –33 –2827 –312934283
21 Chester A. Arthur Republican1721 (tie)2324242627282632263026322532323531343
22/24 Grover Cleveland Democratic08111713181719161317122012212021232324232
23 Benjamin Harrison Republican21202625312930311931273230303434293032353
25 William McKinley Republican18151811191918171615141914162117211619202
26 Theodore Roosevelt Republican07070504050503050604050305040205040404041
27 William Howard Taft Republican16161920202021202224192120242425202422222
28 Woodrow Wilson Democratic04040606060606060706110611090806101111111
29 Warren G. Harding Republican2931363639404141393837 (tie)4039384138424039414
30 Calvin Coolidge Republican23273029303136333027252923262928272728313
31 Herbert Hoover Republican201921212728292433 (tie)34293131343626383636363
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic030302030101010202 (tie)02030103030101030303021
33 Harry S. Truman Democratic –08 (tie)0808070707070805070707050907060606091
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican –21 (tie)1109111208091009091008081010070507061
35 John F. Kennedy Democratic – –1314081010151208181415061115140816102
36 Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic – –1012141513121410171518111611121010162
37 Richard Nixon Republican – –3435282523323625332632273023342833293
38 Gerald Ford Republican – –2423232732272823282828222824242525273
39 Jimmy Carter Democratic – –2527332425192722302534253218262626263
40[lower-alpha 4] Ronald Reagan Republican – – – –162220262511081606101808110909131
41[lower-alpha 4] George H. W. Bush Republican – – – – –1831222420212221182222172017212
42[lower-alpha 4] Bill Clinton Democratic – – – – – –16232021241822151319081513152
43[lower-alpha 4] George W. Bush Republican – – – – – – – – – – –2319363931353330333
44[lower-alpha 4] Barack Obama Democratic – – – – – – – – – – – – – –15 –181208172
45[lower-alpha 4] Donald Trump Republican – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –44424
46 Joe Biden Democratic – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Total in survey
[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3]		293136363940414139413942404243404343444444
  1. Quartiles were determined by splitting the data into an upper and lower half and then splitting these into the first two and last two quartiles, respectively. When splitting an odd number of values, the median was included in the upper half.
  2. Note: Grover Cleveland was elected to two non-consecutive terms, serving as both the 22nd and 24th President of the United States; he is the only person to have held the office in non-consecutive terms. Because Cleveland had two presidencies, the number of persons who have served as president is one less than the number of presidents in order of succession.
  3. William Henry Harrison and James Garfield are sometimes omitted from rankings of the presidents because of the brevity of their terms in office. In addition to Grover Cleveland's two presidential numbers and tied rankings, this also contributes to the number of ranks assigned by some sources to be deficient of presidential complement of the era.
  4. Italics within row indicate rank awarded before president had completed term in office.

Murray–Blessing 1982 survey

The Murray–Blessing 1982 survey asked historians whether they were liberal or conservative on domestic, social and economic issues.[32] The table below shows that the two groups had only small differences in ranking the best and worst presidents. Both groups agreed on the composition of nine of the top ten presidents (and were split over the inclusion of either Lyndon B. Johnson or Dwight D. Eisenhower) and six of the worst seven (split over Jimmy Carter or Calvin Coolidge).

Rankings by liberals and conservatives
Rank Liberals (n = 190) Conservatives (n = 50)
1 Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln
2 Franklin D. Roosevelt George Washington
3 George Washington Franklin D. Roosevelt
4 Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson
5 Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt
6 Woodrow Wilson Andrew Jackson
7 Andrew Jackson Harry S. Truman
8 Harry S. Truman Woodrow Wilson
9 Lyndon B. Johnson Dwight D. Eisenhower
10 John Adams John Adams
... ... ...
30 Calvin Coolidge Jimmy Carter
31 Franklin Pierce Richard Nixon
32 James Buchanan Franklin Pierce
33 Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson
34 Ulysses S. Grant James Buchanan
35 Richard Nixon Ulysses S. Grant
36 Warren G. Harding Warren G. Harding

Public opinion polls

Rasmussen poll

According to a Rasmussen poll conducted in 2007, six presidents—George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy—were rated favorably by at least 80% of Americans.[33]

President Favorable Unfavorable Net favorable
George Washington 94 2 92
Abraham Lincoln 92 4 88
Thomas Jefferson 89 4 85
Theodore Roosevelt 84 8 76
Franklin D. Roosevelt 81 12 69
John F. Kennedy 80 13 67
John Adams 74 9 65
James Madison 73 8 65
Ronald Reagan 72 22 50
Dwight D. Eisenhower 72 15 57
Harry S. Truman 70 14 56
Andrew Jackson 69 14 55
Gerald Ford 62 26 36
John Quincy Adams 59 7 52
Ulysses S. Grant 58 24 34
George H. W. Bush 57 41 16
Jimmy Carter 57 34 23
William Howard Taft 57 15 42
Woodrow Wilson 56 19 37
Bill Clinton 55 41 14
James Monroe 49 10 39
Herbert Hoover 48 34 14
Lyndon B. Johnson 45 42 3
Andrew Johnson 45 26 19
Chester A. Arthur 43 17 26
James A. Garfield 42 16 26
William McKinley 42 24 18
George W. Bush 41 59 −18
Grover Cleveland 40 26 14
Calvin Coolidge 38 31 7
Rutherford B. Hayes 38 19 19
Richard Nixon 32 60 −28
Benjamin Harrison 30 35 −5
Warren G. Harding 29 33 −4
James Buchanan 28 32 −4
James K. Polk 27 21 6
Zachary Taylor 26 18 8
Martin Van Buren 23 19 4
William Henry Harrison 21 16 5
Franklin Pierce 17 25 −8
Millard Fillmore 17 25 −8
John Tyler 9 15 −6

Gallup poll

A Gallup poll about presidential greatness taken February 2–5, 2011, asked 1,015 adults in the United States the following question: "Who do you regard as the greatest United States president?"[3]

  1. Ronald Reagan (19%)
  2. Abraham Lincoln (14%)
  3. Bill Clinton (13%)
  4. John F. Kennedy (11%)
  5. George Washington (10%)
  6. Franklin Roosevelt (8%)
  7. Barack Obama (5%)
  8. Theodore Roosevelt (3%)
  9. Harry S. Truman (3%)
  10. George W. Bush (2%)
  11. Thomas Jefferson (2%)
  12. Jimmy Carter (1%)
  13. Dwight Eisenhower (1%)
  14. George H. W. Bush (1%)
  15. Andrew Jackson (<0.5%)
  16. Lyndon B. Johnson (<0.5%)
  17. Richard Nixon (<0.5%)

In addition, "Other" received 1%, "None" received 1% and "No opinion" received 5%.

Public opinion polls on recent presidents

These polls evaluate recent presidents only.

2010 Gallup poll

A Gallup poll taken on November 19–21, 2010, asked 1,037 Americans to say, based on what they know or remember about the nine most recent former presidents, whether they approve or disapprove of how each handled his job in office.[34]

  1. John F. Kennedy (85% approval/10% disapproval)
  2. Ronald Reagan (74% approval/24% disapproval)
  3. Bill Clinton (69% approval/30% disapproval)
  4. George H. W. Bush (64% approval/34% disapproval)
  5. Gerald Ford (61% approval/26% disapproval)
  6. Jimmy Carter (52% approval/42% disapproval)
  7. Lyndon B. Johnson (49% approval/36% disapproval)
  8. George W. Bush (47% approval/51% disapproval)
  9. Richard Nixon (29% approval/65% disapproval)

Public Policy Polling

A Public Policy Polling poll taken between September 8–11, 2011, asked 665 American voters, based on what they know or remember about the nine then-most recent former presidents, whether they hold favorable or unfavorable views of how each handled his job in office.[35]

  1. John F. Kennedy (74% favorability/15% unfavorability)
  2. Ronald Reagan (60% favorability/30% unfavorability)
  3. Bill Clinton (62% favorability/34% unfavorability)
  4. George H. W. Bush (53% favorability/35% unfavorability)
  5. Gerald Ford (45% favorability/26% unfavorability)
  6. Jimmy Carter (45% favorability/43% unfavorability)
  7. Lyndon B. Johnson (36% favorability/39% unfavorability)
  8. George W. Bush (41% favorability/51% unfavorability)
  9. Richard Nixon (19% favorability/62% unfavorability)

Vision Critical/Angus Reid poll

A Vision Critical/Angus Reid Public Opinion poll taken on February 18–19, 2011, asked 1,010 respondents about 11 former presidents plus the current president and whether each was a good or bad president.[36]

  1. John F. Kennedy (80% approval/6% disapproval)
  2. Ronald Reagan (72% approval/16% disapproval)
  3. Bill Clinton (65% approval/24% disapproval)
  4. Dwight D. Eisenhower (61% approval/6% disapproval)
  5. Harry S. Truman (57% approval/7% disapproval)
  6. Jimmy Carter (47% approval/28% disapproval)
  7. George H. W. Bush (44% approval/38% disapproval)
  8. Barack Obama (41% approval/33% disapproval)
  9. Gerald Ford (37% approval/25% disapproval)
  10. Lyndon B. Johnson (33% approval/27% disapproval)
  11. George W. Bush (30% approval/55% disapproval)
  12. Richard Nixon (24% approval/54% disapproval)

2013 Gallup poll

A Gallup poll taken November 7–10, 2013, asked 1,039 adults in the United States the following question: "How do you think each of the following presidents will go down in history—as an outstanding president, above average, average, below average, or poor?".[37]

Gallup poll 2013
President Outstanding Above average Average Below average Poor No opinion Weighted average[38]
Dwight D. Eisenhower 10% 39% 36% 2% 1% 12% 3.63
John F. Kennedy 18% 56% 19% 2% 1% 4% 3.92
Lyndon B. Johnson 4% 16% 46% 14% 8% 12% 2.93
Richard Nixon 2% 13% 27% 29% 23% 6% 2.38
Gerald Ford 2% 14% 56% 15% 5% 8% 2.92
Jimmy Carter 4% 19% 37% 20% 15% 6% 2.76
Ronald Reagan 19% 42% 27% 6% 4% 2% 3.67
George H. W. Bush 3% 24% 48% 12% 10% 2% 2.98
Bill Clinton 11% 44% 29% 9% 6% 1% 3.45
George W. Bush 3% 18% 36% 20% 23% 1% 2.58
Barack Obama 6% 22% 31% 18% 22% 1% 2.72

2014 Quinnipiac poll

A Quinnipiac University poll taken June 24–30, 2014, asked 1,446 registered voters in the United States who they thought were the best and worst presidents since World War II.[39]

Best President since World War II:

  1. Ronald Reagan (35%)
  2. Bill Clinton (18%)
  3. John F. Kennedy (15%)
  4. Barack Obama (8%)
  5. Dwight Eisenhower (5%)
  6. Harry S. Truman (4%)
  7. Lyndon B. Johnson (tie) (3%)
  8. George H. W. Bush (tie) (3%)
  9. Jimmy Carter (2%)
  10. Richard Nixon (tie) (1%)
  11. Gerald Ford (tie) (1%)
  12. George W. Bush (tie) (1%)

Worst President since World War II:

  1. Barack Obama (33%)
  2. George W. Bush (28%)
  3. Richard Nixon (13%)
  4. Jimmy Carter (8%)
  5. Lyndon B. Johnson (tie) (3%)
  6. Ronald Reagan (tie) (3%)
  7. Bill Clinton (tie) (3%)
  8. Gerald Ford (tie) (2%)
  9. George H. W. Bush (tie) (2%)
  10. Dwight Eisenhower (1%)
  11. Harry S. Truman (tie) (<1%)
  12. John F. Kennedy (tie) (<1%)

2017 Quinnipiac poll

Four years later, a Quinnipiac University poll taken January 20–25, 2017, asked 1,190 voters in the United States who they thought were the best and worst presidents since World War II.[40]

Best President since World War II:

  1. Ronald Reagan (30%)
  2. Barack Obama (29%)
  3. John F. Kennedy (12%)
  4. Bill Clinton (9%)
  5. Dwight Eisenhower (tie) (3%)
  6. George W. Bush (tie) (3%)
  7. Harry S. Truman (tie) (2%)
  8. Lyndon B. Johnson (tie) (2%)
  9. Jimmy Carter (tie) (2%)
  10. George H. W. Bush (tie) (2%)
  11. Richard Nixon (tie) (<1%)
  12. Gerald R. Ford (tie) (<1%)

Worst President since World War II:

  1. Richard Nixon (24%)
  2. Barack Obama (23%)
  3. George W. Bush (22%)
  4. Jimmy Carter (10%)
  5. Ronald Reagan (5%)
  6. Bill Clinton (4%)
  7. Lyndon B. Johnson (3%)
  8. George H. W. Bush (2%)
  9. Gerald R. Ford (1%)
  10. Harry S. Truman (tie) (<1%)
  11. Dwight Eisenhower (tie) (<1%)
  12. John F. Kennedy (tie) (<1%)

2017 Morning Consult poll

Including for the first time President Donald Trump, a Morning Consult poll taken February 9–10, 2017, asked 1,791 registered voters in the United States, who they thought were the best and worst presidents since World War II.[41][42]

Best President since World War II:

  1. Ronald Reagan (26%)
  2. Barack Obama (20%)
  3. John F. Kennedy (17%)
  4. Bill Clinton (9%)
  5. Donald Trump (6%)
  6. George W. Bush (tie) (2%)
  7. Harry S. Truman (tie) (2%)
  8. Jimmy Carter (tie) (2%)
  9. George H. W. Bush (tie) (2%)
  10. Richard Nixon (tie) (1%)
  11. Lyndon B. Johnson (tie) (1%)
  12. Gerald R. Ford (<1%)

Worst President since World War II:

  1. Donald Trump (26%)
  2. Barack Obama (25%)
  3. Richard Nixon (13%)
  4. George W. Bush (7%)
  5. Bill Clinton (6%)
  6. Jimmy Carter (5%)
  7. George H. W. Bush (3%)
  8. Lyndon B. Johnson (2%)
  9. Ronald Reagan (tie) (1%)
  10. Gerald R. Ford (tie) (1%)
  11. Dwight D. Eisenhower (tie) (1%)
  12. Harry S. Truman (tie) (1%)
  13. John F. Kennedy (<1%)

2018 Quinnipiac poll

A Quinnipiac University poll taken March 3–5, 2018, asked 1,122 voters in the United States who they thought were the best and worst presidents since World War II.[43]

Best President since World War II:

  1. Ronald Reagan (28%)
  2. Barack Obama (24%)
  3. John F. Kennedy (tie) (10%)
  4. Bill Clinton (tie) (10%)
  5. Donald Trump (7%)
  6. Dwight Eisenhower (4%)
  7. Harry S. Truman (tie) (3%)
  8. Jimmy Carter (tie) (3%)
  9. Lyndon B. Johnson (2%)
  10. George H. W. Bush (tie) (1%)
  11. Richard Nixon (tie) (1%)
  12. George W. Bush (tie) (1%)
  13. Gerald R. Ford (<1%)

Worst President since World War II:

  1. Donald Trump (41%)
  2. Barack Obama (21%)
  3. Richard Nixon (10%)
  4. Jimmy Carter (8%)
  5. George W. Bush (6%)
  6. Bill Clinton (4%)
  7. Lyndon B. Johnson (tie) (2%)
  8. Ronald Reagan (tie) (2%)
  9. Gerald R. Ford (1%)
  10. Harry S. Truman (tie) (<1%)
  11. Dwight Eisenhower (tie) (<1%)
  12. John F. Kennedy (tie) (<1%)
  13. George H. W. Bush (tie) (<1%)

2021 Gallup poll

A Gallup poll taken January 4–15, 2021, asked 1,023 adults in the United States the following question: "How do you think each of the following presidents will go down in history—as an outstanding president, above average, average, below average, or poor?"[44]

Gallup poll 2021
PresidentOutstandingAbove averageAverageBelow averagePoor
John F. Kennedy23%47%25%2%1%
Richard Nixon4%7%26%29%30%
Jimmy Carter6%21%43%14%10%
Ronald Reagan17%35%30%10%6%
George H. W. Bush7%21%53%11%6%
Bill Clinton10%26%37%16%11%
George W. Bush6%18%49%16%10%
Barack Obama21%35%22%11%12%
Donald Trump9%20%10%14%47%

Siena College Research Institute, Presidential Expert Poll of 2010
Abbreviations
Bg = Background
PL = Party leadership
CAb = Communication ability
RC = Relations with Congress
CAp = Court appointments
HE = Handling of economy
L = Luck
AC = Ability to compromise
WR = Willing to take risks
EAp = Executive appointments
OA = Overall ability
Im = Imagination
DA = Domestic accomplishments
Int = Integrity
EAb = Executive ability
FPA = Foreign policy accomplishments
LA = Leadership ability
IQ = Intelligence
AM = Avoid crucial mistakes
EV = Experts' view
O = Overall
Blue backgrounds indicate first quartile.
Green backgrounds indicate second quartile.
Orange backgrounds indicate third quartile.
Red backgrounds indicate fourth quartile.

Source:[45]

Seq. President Political party Bg PL CAb RC CAp HE L AC WR EAp OA Im DA Int EAb FPA LA IQ AM EV O
 
1 George Washington Independent718123341341494223112134
2 John Adams Federalist429182610132332161513172231912207151217
3 Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican146461661185536145761655
4 James Madison Democratic-Republican3101197121771596812514201721086
5 James Monroe Democratic-Republican9121581499817816168101121315797
6 John Quincy Adams Democratic-Republican234203516143029231315111842116265202119
7 Andrew Jackson Democratic3021014272843851912131423619523121314
8 Martin Van Buren Democratic161323192438331332252424272923252722272423
9 William Henry Harrison Whig243025313327423530243735363033392431333435
10 John Tyler Independent[30]334239423931223926343529343337353633323637
11 James K. Polk Democratic179131221157237161714112498102091112
12 Zachary Taylor Whig373528373724363428283427372131342537253333
13 Millard Fillmore Whig404140383533252537353836353638333939303538
14 Franklin Pierce Democratic383737414034353638383939393840404038354040
15 James Buchanan Democratic234041404241404143394242434042414340414342
16 Abraham Lincoln Republican28626451312212111523213
17 Andrew Johnson National Union[31]424343434337394334424141423741384241424243
18 Ulysses S. Grant Republican262824222529212222402826262734242129313126
19 Rutherford B. Hayes Republican293330292926191833333332332830303230242931
20 James A. Garfield Republican202222243223412731292528252526312326222727
21 Chester A. Arthur Republican413132272819142127263025203227262832172625
22/24 Grover Cleveland Democratic191617151722201924182022171917211925141920
23 Benjamin Harrison Republican393234283035293039363634323135283435233234
25 William McKinley Republican211419112318242021202123192218151827112021
26 Theodore Roosevelt Republican6735122121431264446342
27 William Howard Taft Republican143629301820322436222330211825233118282324
28 Woodrow Wilson Democratic8891688153791085911101012429108
29 Warren G. Harding Republican433836343639372640434343404243374143394141
30 Calvin Coolidge Republican252438212630122841303237311728323328192829
31 Herbert Hoover Republican102631331943434042322638411329363714403836
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic51122152332431631310421
33 Harry S. Truman Democratic351514201561115677157886917869
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican121721109118520171120139797195710
35 John F. Kennedy Democratic1319413127276106147153513171111161411
36 Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic153161510289121291253412431521371616
37 Richard Nixon Republican182026363825343314372219244324112916433730
38 Gerald Ford Republican272535172236311735233133301532273034262528
39 Jimmy Carter Democratic31392739204038312521292129736293513363032
40 Ronald Reagan Republican3455731213141131191823262013836131718
41 George H. W. Bush Republican112733233432261629272731282022142224182222
42 Bill Clinton Democratic22118251131041811101010411518149341513
43 George W. Bush Republican362342324142184219414040383939423842383939
44 Barack Obama Democratic322171813171610131418616121622168211815
Seq. President Political party Bg PL CAb RC CAp HE L AC WR EAp OA Im DA Int EAb FPA LA IQ AM EV O

2017 C-SPAN Presidential Historian Survey
Abbreviations
PP = Public persuasion
CL = Crisis leadership
EM = Economic management
MA = Moral authority
IR = International relations
AS = Administrative skills
RC = Relations with Congress
VSA = Vision/Setting an agenda
PEJ = Pursued equal justice for all
PCT = Performance within context of times
O = Overall
Blue backgrounds indicate first quartile.
Green backgrounds indicate second quartile.
Orange backgrounds indicate third quartile.
Red backgrounds indicate fourth quartile.

Source:[46]

Seq. President Political party PP CL EM MA IR AS RC VSA PEJ PCT O
 
1 George Washington Independent421122221312
2 John Adams Federalist2217151113212420151919
3 Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican813136117551767
4 James Madison Democratic-Republican181919922171318181617
5 James Monroe Democratic-Republican17141816711914251113
6 John Quincy Adams Democratic-Republican332317121518321592221
7 Andrew Jackson Democratic710262020232110381318
8 Martin Van Buren Democratic3035403326262833303334
9 William Henry Harrison Whig2838383142403836373838
10 John Tyler Independent[30]3936393728384137413639
11 James K. Polk Democratic13914271691111361214
12 Zachary Taylor Whig2728282830353530343031
13 Millard Fillmore Whig4034343634363639393737
14 Franklin Pierce Democratic4141413940394041424141
15 James Buchanan Democratic4343424343414243434343
16 Abraham Lincoln Republican31223141121
17 Andrew Johnson National Union[31]4242374139434342404242
18 Ulysses S. Grant Republican1921271919372023102122
19 Rutherford B. Hayes Republican2930253233293032322832
20 James A. Garfield Republican2131292236322725202729
21 Chester A. Arthur Republican3732313535282934273235
22/24 Grover Cleveland Democratic2022242623222221312323
23 Benjamin Harrison Republican3233323027302631243130
25 William McKinley Republican1616111817131017261816
26 Theodore Roosevelt Republican254544741144
27 William Howard Taft Republican3126202521122328222424
28 Woodrow Wilson Democratic111198128167351011
29 Warren G. Harding Republican3639354037423440334040
30 Calvin Coolidge Republican2429222129251829292627
31 Herbert Hoover Republican3840432931143138283936
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic13531333833
33 Harry S. Truman Democratic14410105101413456
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican12664656161275
35 John F. Kennedy Democratic677151416129798
36 Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic152012243861821410
37 Richard Nixon Republican2627234210243724213428
38 Gerald Ford Republican3424302325271935142525
39 Jimmy Carter Democratic353733143231332252926
40 Ronald Reagan Republican581613933862389
41 George H. W. Bush Republican231221178161527162020
42 Bill Clinton Democratic9183381820171961715
43 George W. Bush Republican2525363441342526193533
44 Barack Obama Democratic1015872419391231512
Seq. President Political party PP CL EM MA IR AS RC VSA PEJ PCT O

Siena College Research Institute, Presidential Expert Poll of 2018

On February 13, 2019, Siena released its 6th presidential poll.[47]

The poll was initiated in 1982 and occurs one year into the term of each new president. It is currently a survey of 157 presidential scholars, across a range of leadership parameters.

The ranking gave the top five spots to George Washington, Franklin Roosevelt (FDR), Abraham Lincoln, Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson. This top five, described as Mount Rushmore plus FDR, was consistent with prior surveys. Washington had been ranked fourth in all previous surveys, and FDR first.

Abbreviations
Bg = Background
Im = Imagination
Int = Integrity
IQ = Intelligence
L = Luck
WR = Willing to take risks
AC = Ability to compromise
EAb = Executive ability
LA = Leadership ability
CAb = Communication ability
OA = Overall ability
PL = Party leadership
RC = Relations with Congress
CAp = Court appointments
HE = Handling of economy
EAp = Executive appointments
DA = Domestic accomplishments
FPA = Foreign policy accomplishments
AM = Avoid crucial mistakes
EV = Experts' view
O = Overall
Blue backgrounds indicate first quartile.
Green backgrounds indicate second quartile.
Orange backgrounds indicate third quartile.
Red backgrounds indicate fourth quartile.
Seq. President Political party Bg Im Int IQ L WR AC EAb LA CAb OA PL RC CAp HE EAp DA FPA AM EV O
 
1 George Washington Independent771101622111218111122121
2 John Adams Federalist3134424143121211382817413151913161014
3 Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican221418514664455720469755
4 James Madison Democratic-Republican4673161561317106910614711191187
5 James Monroe Democratic-Republican91411186167101215171281199105698
6 John Quincy Adams Democratic-Republican19652919242223121629291517182115141818
7 Andrew Jackson Democratic37152928443811918196163025251723201919
8 Martin Van Buren Democratic232227253428202827252716232531262927242825
9 William Henry Harrison Whig223828374432413829313736374241404244373939
10 John Tyler Independent[30]343335342226373637343641403834363626323637
11 James K. Polk Democratic1910232397187111612101122151612881312
12 Zachary Taylor Whig302622323724262625323235323727332730263030
13 Millard Fillmore Whig403736383538323739403940393937373737333738
14 Franklin Pierce Democratic383938403938393940414039384140394139384040
15 James Buchanan Democratic364340394241404244424342414342434443444443
16 Abraham Lincoln Republican28122181112112434216213
17 Andrew Johnson Democratic[31]424241424034434343444244434443424341434344
18 Ulysses S. Grant Republican202425242618172718262624192426382424312424
19 Rutherford B. Hayes Republican353032292335233333303133302722303531282932
20 James A. Garfield Republican222521204130252524232427263429273434272528
21 Chester A. Arthur Republican413137361733223034363534333330312532233134
22/24 Grover Cleveland Democratic262326271927221920192220272021232321152223
23 Benjamin Harrison Republican333430352836333535353431283532343229293335
25 William McKinley Republican292020263222211719222011122316172014132020
26 Theodore Roosevelt Republican5486221544557793543544
27 William Howard Taft Republican122812142731192326212330211619211822192322
28 Woodrow Wilson Democratic8819714113514147148141311141411251511
29 Warren G. Harding Republican394142433340344041394138353635413836394141
30 Calvin Coolidge Republican323617331339273238373326243124323335223231
31 Herbert Hoover Republican133515134337362936292932332644353933403536
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic63161253433231322331432
33 Harry S. Truman Democratic311692112812810141014151781074979
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican1118517721555207159561187366
35 John F. Kennedy Democratic14531113198128311171312761517181210
36 Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic1511342225109913179328128540351716
37 Richard Nixon Republican162143163612302428272522343223282216423829
38 Gerald Ford Republican183210303029113130333025252133243128212727
39 Jimmy Carter Democratic25193153827293232242837361938222825342626
40 Ronald Reagan Republican2717243131310157618461818201612121613
41 George H. W. Bush Republican102718192027132022282121202928192610172121
42 Bill Clinton Democratic2112398111731615813131810512918301415
43 George W. Bush Republican172933412120283431383819222836293038363433
44 Barack Obama Democratic2411139152316181691523311410131320101117
45 Donald Trump Republican434044441025424142434443424039444042414242
Seq. President Political party Bg Im Int IQ L WR AC EAb LA CAb OA PL RC CAp HE EAp DA FPA AM EV O

Memorability of the presidents

In November 2014, Henry L. Roediger III and K. Andrew DeSoto published a study in the journal Science asking research subjects to name as many presidents as possible.[48][49] They reported data from three generations as well as from an online survey conducted in 2014. The percentage of participants in the online survey sample who could name each president was the following:

  1. Barack Obama (100%)
  2. Bill Clinton (96%)
  3. George W. Bush or George H. W. Bush (95%)
  4. George Washington (94%)
  5. Abraham Lincoln (88%)
  6. John F. Kennedy (83%)
  7. Richard Nixon (82%)
  8. Jimmy Carter (79%)
  9. Thomas Jefferson (72%)
  10. Ronald Reagan (66%)
  11. Gerald Ford (62%)
  12. Franklin D. Roosevelt or Theodore Roosevelt (60%)
  13. John Adams or John Quincy Adams (56%)
  14. Dwight D. Eisenhower (54%)
  15. Harry S. Truman (50%)
  16. Andrew Jackson (47%)
  17. Herbert Hoover (42%)
  18. Andrew Johnson or Lyndon B. Johnson (41%)
  19. William Howard Taft (39%)
  20. James Madison (38%)
  21. Ulysses S. Grant (38%)
  22. James Monroe (30%)
  23. Woodrow Wilson (29%)
  24. Calvin Coolidge (22%)
  25. James A. Garfield (19%)
  26. James K. Polk (17%)
  27. Warren G. Harding (16%)
  28. William McKinley (15%)
  29. John Tyler (12%)
  30. James Buchanan (12%)
  31. Grover Cleveland (11%)
  32. William Henry Harrison or Benjamin Harrison (11%)
  33. Martin Van Buren (11%)
  34. Rutherford B. Hayes (10%)
  35. Zachary Taylor (10%)
  36. Millard Fillmore (8%)
  37. Franklin Pierce (7%)
  38. Chester A. Arthur (7%)

Criticism and alternatives

David H. Donald, noted biographer of Abraham Lincoln, relates that when he met John F. Kennedy in 1961, Kennedy voiced his deep dissatisfaction and resentment with historians who had rated some of his predecessors. Kennedy remarked, "No one has a right to grade a president—even poor James Buchanan—who has not sat in his chair, examined the mail and information that came across his desk, and learned why he made his decisions".[50] Historian and political scientist Julian E. Zelizer has argued that traditional presidential rankings explain little concerning actual presidential history and that they are "weak mechanisms for evaluating what has taken place in the White House".[51]

The broadly static nature of the rankings over multiple decades has also been called into question, particularly given the frequent nature of previously unknown material about American government becoming exposed.[52]

Alvin S. Felzenberg's The Leaders We Deserved
Felzenberg lauds the Reagan administration, considering the statesman to be one of America's three greatest leaders in contrast to the middling status assigned by multiple surveys of historians.

Alvin S. Felzenberg, a professor at both the Elliot School of International Affairs within George Washington University and the Annenberg School for Communication within the University of Pennsylvania, authored the 2008 book The Leaders We Deserved (and a Few We Didn't) in an attempt to revise the understanding of presidential rankings.[53][52] Felzenberg's broad motivation for the book came from his interest in American presidents and his intent "not to fix their reputations in concrete, but to provoke discussion."[52]

Looking back at past discussions over the various ranking methodologies the author argues that the academic process has fallen victim to certain negative trends, and he stresses that the analysis must not only attempt to evaluate individuals based on broad assessments of their performance but on a composite approach looking at different leadership categories. These, in Felzenberg's opinion, should include looking at diverse factors from the performance of the U.S. economy due to presidential actions to leaders' behaviors in advancing the causes of individual liberty to intellectual competence in the administrations managed by the presidents and more.[54][52]

In his study of American history, the author finds fault with conventional wisdom in certain areas and agrees with it in others.[54][52] Notably, Felzenberg's assessment of Abraham Lincoln as America's greatest president is followed closely by that of George Washington as its second greatest while both Ronald Reagan and Theodore Roosevelt tie for third place. Dwight D. Eisenhower falls into fifth place.[52]

Racial equality assessments

In 2002, Ron Walters, former director of the University of Maryland's African American Leadership Institute, stated that presidents ranked by how each one balanced the interests of the majority and those of excluded groups was practical in respect to American debate on racial politics. Presidents have traditionally been ranked on personal qualities and their leadership ability to solve problems that move the nation in a positive direction. Walters stated there was a qualitative difference between white and African-American intellectuals in evaluating presidents. In the 1996 New York Times poll by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., 31 white historians and one black historian ranked presidents on differing categories of greatness. In a survey done by professors Hanes Walton Jr. and Robert Smith and in their text book American Politics And The African American Quest For Universal Freedom, 44 African-American political scientists and historians ranked presidents in terms of racial attitudes and racial legislation proposed.[55] Individual presidents' attitudes, policies and perspectives were historically ranked in five categories: White Supremacist; Racist; Racially Neutral; Racially Ambivalent; Antiracist.[56]

Northwestern Presidential Leadership on Diversity and Inclusion Survey (2019)

In May 2019, Dr. Alvin Tillery of the Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy at Northwestern University and Dr. Christina Greer of Fordham University "conducted a poll of 113 academic researchers and asked them to rate the 14 modern presidents on both their overall leadership and rhetoric on diversity and inclusion using a scale ranging from 0 to 100."[57] Survey respondents were significantly more liberal than the national average, "with only 13 percent of the respondents describing themselves as either moderate, slightly conservative, or conservative." However, "similar patterns of ratings [were stated to be found] across the ideological spectrum".[57]

Rank Overall (performance + diversity and inclusion score) Diversity and inclusion leadership score only
1 Franklin D. Roosevelt (83/100) Barack Obama (75/100)
2 Barack Obama (77/100) Bill Clinton (54/100)
3 Lyndon B. Johnson (69/100) Jimmy Carter (43/100)
4 Bill Clinton (62/100) George W. Bush (41/100)
5 John F. Kennedy (61/100) Lyndon B. Johnson (40/100)
6 Harry S. Truman (57/100) George H. W. Bush (34/100)
7 Dwight D. Eisenhower (54.4/100) Franklin D. Roosevelt (31/100)
8 Ronald Reagan (54.1/100) Gerald Ford (30/100)
9 Jimmy Carter (50/100) John F. Kennedy (28.4/100)
10 George H. W. Bush (49/100) Harry S. Truman (28/100)
11 Gerald Ford (39/100) Ronald Reagan (27.8/100)
12 George W. Bush (38/100) Dwight D. Eisenhower (26/100)
13 Richard Nixon (32/100) Richard Nixon (24/100)
14 Donald Trump (11/100) Donald Trump (9/100)

See also

Footnotes

    References
    1. Maranell, Gary M. (June 1970). "The Evaluation of Presidents: An Extension of the Schlesinger Polls". The Journal of American History. 57 (1): 104–113. doi:10.2307/1900552. JSTOR 1900552. S2CID 154631219.
    2. William J. Ridings Jr. and Stuart B. McIver. Rating the Presidents: A Ranking of U.S. leaders, from the Great and Honorable to the Dishonest and Incompetent. 2000. ISBN 0806521511.
    3. "Americans Say Reagan Is the Greatest U.S. President". Gallup.com. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
    4. Skidmore. 2001.
    5. Schlesinger, Arthur M. "Our Presidents: A Rating by 75 Historians". The New York Times. July 1962. pp. 12–13, 40–41, 43.
    6. "Rating the Presidents: Washington to Clinton". Retrieved March 25, 2010.
    7. Rating the Presidents: A Ranking of U.S. leaders, from the Great and Honorable to the Dishonest and Incompetent. 2000. ISBN 0806521511.
    8. "Presidential Leadership; The Rankings". Wall Street Journal Online. September 12, 2005. Archived from the original on February 7, 2006.
    9. "About the Presidents Study". Retrieved September 24, 2019.
    10. "Siena's 6th Presidential Expert Poll 1982 – 2018". Retrieved September 24, 2019.
    11. "Historians Give Good Grades to Clinton Presidency in Siena College Survey". January 11, 1995. Archived June 28, 2006.
    12. "FDR America's Greatest President". August 19, 2002. Archived February 10, 2007.
    13. "Experts: Bush Presidency Is A Failure; Little Chance To Improve Ranking". Archived May 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Siena Research Institute. May 1, 2006.
    14. Griffin, Jeremy; Hines, Nico (October 28, 2008). "Who's the greatest? The Times US presidential rankings". The Times. London. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
    15. "C-SPAN Releases Second Historians Survey of Presidential Leadership". C-SPAN. February 15, 2009.
    16. "Presidential Historians Survey 2017". C-SPAN. February 17, 2017.
    17. "C-SPAN Releases Third Historians Survey of Presidential Leadership". C-SPAN. February 17, 2017.
    18. "Methodology: Presidential Historians Survey 2017". C-SPAN. February 17, 2017.
    19. "Rushmore Plus One; FDR joins Mountainside Figures Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Lincoln as Top Presidents" Archived July 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Siena Research Institute. July 1, 2010.
    20. Thomas, G. Scott (July 1, 2010). "Clean sweep for the Roosevelts". Business First of Buffalo. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
    21. Iwan Morgan. "UK Survey of US Presidents: Results and Analysis". Retrieved October 10, 2013.
    22. "From Franklin Delano Roosevelt to John F. Kennedy, Newsweek's 10 Best Presidents (Photos)". The Daily Beast. September 24, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
    23. HNN Staff (September 8, 2013). "Historians Give Barack Obama a B-". History News Network. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
    24. Brandon Rottinghaus (February 13, 2015). "Measuring Obama against the great presidents". The Brookings Institution.
    25. "How Does Trump Stack Up Against the Best — and Worst — Presidents?". The New York Times. February 19, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
    26. "Siena's 6th Presidential Expert Poll 1982 – 2018". Retrieved September 24, 2019.
    27. "Lincoln Wins: Honest Abe tops new presidential survey". CNN. February 16, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
    28. "Presidential Historians Survey 2017". C-SPAN. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
    29. "Presidents 2018 Rank by Category" (PDF). Retrieved February 19, 2019.
    30. Tyler was elected on the Whig ticket as Harrison's vice president, but Tyler became an independent after the Whigs expelled him from the party in 1841.
    31. Johnson was a former War Democrat elected on the National Union ticket as Lincoln's vice president. By 1868, the National Union Party disbanded but Johnson had not yet rejoined the Democratic Party.
    32. Murray and Blessing. p. 135.
    33. "Washington, Lincoln Most Popular Presidents: Nixon, Bush Least Popular - Rasmussen Reports™". Rasmussenreports.com. July 4, 2007. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
    34. "Kennedy Still Highest-Rated Modern President, Nixon Lowest". Gallup. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
    35. "JFK, Reagan, Clinton most popular recent ex-presidents". September 15, 2011.
    36. "Kennedy and Reagan Lead List of Good Presidents for Americans". Angus Reid Public Opinion. Archived August 22, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved August 22, 2012.
    37. "Americans Rate JFK as Top Modern President". Gallup. Archived from the original on August 1, 2016.
    38. The weights were 5 for "Outstanding", 4 for "Above Average", 3 for "Average", 2 for "Below Average" and 1 for "Poor".
    39. "National (US) Poll – July 2, 2014 – Obama Is First As Worst President Since WWII, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; More Voters Say Romney Would Have Been Better". Quinnipiac University.
    40. "Trump Starts In The Hole As U.S. Voters Disapprove, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Reagan, Obama Are Best Presidents In 70 Years". Quinnipiac University.
    41. "Morning Consult National Tracking Poll February 09–10,2017". Politico.
    42. "Poll: Trump and Obama Are America's Worst Presidents Since World War II". Morning Consult. February 15, 2017.
    43. "QU Poll Release Detail". Quinnipiac University. March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
    44. Jones, Jeffrey. "Americans Expect History to Judge Trump Harshly". Gallup. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
    45. "Rushmore Plus One; FDR joins Mountainside Figures Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Lincoln as Top Presidents". Siena College. July 1, 2010. Archived from the original on July 6, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
    46. "All Presidents - C-SPAN Survey on Presidents 2017". C-SPAN. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
    47. "Siena's 6th Presidential Expert Poll 1982 – 2018".
    48. Roediger, Henry L.; DeSoto, K. Andrew (November 28, 2014), "Forgetting the Presidents", Science, 346 (6213): 1106–1109, Bibcode:2014Sci...346.1106R, doi:10.1126/science.1259627, PMID 25430768, S2CID 6951497
    49. Carey, Benedict (November 27, 2014). "Study on Cultural Memory Confirms: Chester A. Arthur, We Hardly Knew Ye". The New York Times. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
    50. Donald, David H. Lincoln. 1995. p. 13.
    51. Zelizer (February 21, 2011). "What's wrong with presidential rankings". CNN Opinion.
    52. Mengisen, Annika (October 31, 2008). "The Presidents Ranked and Graded: A Q&A With the Author of The Leaders We Deserved". Freakonomics.com. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
    53. "The Leaders We Deserved (and a Few We Didn't): Rethinking the Presidential Rating Game". AbeBooks.com. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
    54. Folsom, Jr, Burton W. (April 24, 2009). "The Leaders We Deserved (and a Few We Didn't): Rethinking the Presidential Rating Game". Foundation for Economic Education. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
    55. Walters (July 8, 2002)."Presidency: How Do African-American Scholars Rank Presidents?". History News Network.
    56. Walton Jr., Hanes; Smith, Robert C. (2000). American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom. New York: Addison-Wesley Longman, Inc. pp. 201–202.
    57. Tillery Jr., Alvin (May 31, 2019). "The First-Ever Expert Survey on Presidential Leadership on Diversity and Inclusion" (PDF). Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy. Retrieved June 25, 2019.

    Further reading

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