Americans expect Obama to fare better in history than 6 of the last 11 presidents

He's no JFK, but Americans are pretty optimistic about how history will remember the presidency of Barack Obama. A Gallup survey asking how the past 11 presidents will go down in history found Americans think Obama is at least above average:

The only presidents who fared better than Obama are John F. Kennedy — undoubtedly benefiting from the unique glamor and tragic end of his term in office — Ronald Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower, and Bill Clinton. Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, and Richard Nixon are the only three to have a net negative assessment.

However, these evaluations can change over time. While some presidents (like Reagan and Clinton) maintain history ratings quite close to those they had at the end of their tenure, others have seen improvement (Carter and George W. Bush) or increasingly negative sentiments (George H.W. Bush); Carter and the Bushes have seen their ratings swing as much as 30 points, meaning Obama's assessment may yet evolve considerably.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up