A recent YouGov survey asked Americans to rate recent U.S. presidents and first ladies on a scale from outstanding to poor. The results show that more recent presidents — including Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and Barack Obama — are among the most polarizing, while earlier presidents are more likely to be viewed as average. Of the 10 presidents asked about, Ronald Reagan is the most likely to be rated as outstanding or above average. Among first ladies, Rosalynn Carter and Michelle Obama stand out as the most highly regarded, with nearly half of people classifying them as outstanding or above average.
Most recent first ladies are more likely to be viewed favorably by Americans than are their husbands, the presidents. The one big exception: Hillary Clinton, who is viewed less favorably than her husband Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton, unlike the other recent first ladies, has been involved in electoral politics for much of the time since her husband's presidency ended.
President ratings
Among the 10 U.S. presidents asked about, Ronald Reagan (rated as either outstanding or above average by 46% is followed by Barack Obama (41%) and Donald Trump (37%).
Joe Biden, the current president, ranks in the bottom half of the 10 most recent presidents, with 22% saying he is outstanding or above average. George W. Bush (22%) and Lyndon B. Johnson (21%) are similarly likely to be rated as such. Just 16% of Americans rate Richard Nixon as outstanding or above average.
Other than Nixon — whom 42% rate as poor or below average — the presidents most likely to be given below-average ratings are those that were most recently in office: 52% rate Biden as poor or below average, 48% Trump, and 36% Obama.
Views of the most recent presidents are also the most divided by party. Democrats are 64 percentage points more likely than Republicans to say Obama was outstanding or above average, 44 points more likely to say Biden is, and 39 points more likely to say Bill Clinton was. Republicans, on the other hand, are 66 points more likely than Democrats to say Trump was outstanding or above average as president and 56 points more likely to say Reagan was. Opinions about Nixon, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush are much less politically polarized.
First lady ratings
Of recent first ladies, Rosalynn Carter is the most likely to be rated as outstanding or above average (46%), followed closely by Michelle Obama (45%). Pat Nixon — like her husband — is least likely to be regarded as outstanding or above average. However, few view her as poor or below average, and nearly one in three don't have an opinion.
The wives of four of the five most recent presidents — all but Laura Bush — are most likely to receive low ratings: 31% rate Jill Biden as poor or below average, 39% Melania Trump, 28% Michelle Obama, and 37% Hillary Clinton.
As with presidents, the most recent first ladies are also among the most politically divisive. Democrats are 60 percentage points more likely than Republicans to say Michelle Obama was outstanding or above average as first lady, 51 points to say so about Hillary Clinton, and 41 points more likely for Jill Biden.
Republicans are 48 points more likely than Democrats to rate Melania Trump as outstanding or above average and 34 points more likely to rate Nancy Reagan this way. Pat Nixon, Lady Bird Johnson, Barbara Bush, and Laura Bush are far less divisive.
— David Montgomery and Carl Bialik contributed to this article
See the results for this YouGov poll
Methodology: This poll was conducted online on November 20 - 27, 2023 among 1,000 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel using sample matching. A random sample (stratified by gender, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration) was selected from the 2019 American Community Survey. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given prior to November 1, 2022, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (33% Democratic, 31% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 4%.
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