After 88 Years, Gallup Will Discontinue Historic Presidential Approval Polling

The Gallup public opinion polling agency has announced that, beginning this year, it will stop publishing approval and favorability ratings for individual political figures in public office.

The agency announced that it will no longer chart presidential approval ratings, saying in a statement that the move “reflects an evolution in how Gallup focuses its public research and thought leadership.”

The statement from Gallup explains that “Our commitment is to long-term, methodologically sound research on issues and conditions that shape people’s lives.”

“That work will continue through the Gallup Poll Social Series, the Gallup Quarterly Business Review, the World Poll, and our portfolio of U.S. and global research,” the statement continued.

According to Axios , for the better part of the past 8 decades, Gallup’s approval ratings have served as a kind of barometer of American public sentiment toward the White House.

In response to a question from The Hill as to whether Gallup had received any feedback from the current administration before deciding to make the change, the polling agency responded, “this is a strategic shift solely based on Gallup’s research goals and priorities.”

President Trump’s current 36% approval rating is not the lowest among U.S. presidents despite an 11% drop in approval since February 2025.

President Harry Truman went from an approval rating of 87% in June 1945 to a mere 22% rating in February of 1952.

George W. Bush scored the highest presidential job approval rating at 90% following the 9/11 attacks in 2001, but dropped to 25% by October 2008.

Axios reports that President John F. Kennedy had the highest average approval rating among U.S. presidents at 70%.

Gallup has expanded its polling business to surveys outside of politics to cover the public’s trust and happiness on issues like employee workplace engagement and the spread of AI.

A Gallup spokesperson said, “This change is part of a broader, ongoing effort to align all of Gallup’s public work with its mission. We look forward to continuing to offer independent research that adheres to the highest standards of social science.”