Politics

You Might Be Surprised Who President Biden Has the Highest and Lowest Approval Ratings With

24/7 Wall St. Staff

Published: June 29, 2024 11:10 am

The United States presidential election is less than five months away, and the average American may not have the most favorable feelings for either major party candidate. The Pew Research Center conducted a survey in May of 8,638 adults and released their results in June, showing that up to a quarter of Americans “hold unfavorable views of both” candidates – President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Compared to this matchup four years ago, the results are nearly twice as high. This level of distaste has not been as high since the 1988 election when Bush Sr. and Dukakis went head-to-head for the office of president.

A presidential approval rating is a snapshot in time. According to the data agency Gallup, “a presidential approval rating is a simple measure, yet a very powerful one that has played a key role in politics for over 70 years.” These numbers give Americans a sense of how their elected official is doing in office. Politicians place a lot of stock in them to determine if they will remain in their office or win a coming election.

Historical polling data from Gallup shows the average US president approval rating from 1938 to 2024 to be 52%. Other presidents in May of their fourth year of office have had a variety of ratings: Eisenhower was at 70%, Obama at 47%, Reagan at 53%, and Trump at 44%. At the time this article was written, Biden’s most recent approval rating was 39%, which is not the lowest it has been; this is up 2 points from November 2023, when it reached its lowest.

Using data from a Pew Research Center survey conducted in June 2023, 24/7 Wall St. identified the groups of Americans who approve or disapprove of President Biden the most. In the Pew survey, Americans of different races, ethnicities, ages, religious beliefs, education levels, political affiliations, and places of residence were asked about the degree to which they approve or disapprove of how Biden is handling his job. We ranked 28 of these subgroups by their net approval and disapproval rating of the president.

What Is Important About Approval Ratings?

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In a continuing polarizing political climate, the average American citizen is looking for a litmus test to understand how well things are going nationwide. Approval ratings allow a person to compare their thoughts on an official or an issue against the average thoughts of a larger group of individuals.

Click here to see which Americans President Biden has the highest and lowest approval ratings with.

Gender: Men

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• Biden approval rating: 36% approve (12th highest of 28 categories – tied); 62% disapprove (11th highest of 28 categories – tied)
• Approve very strongly: 17%
• Approve not so strongly: 19%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 17%
• Disapprove very strongly: 44%

Gender: Women

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• Biden approval rating: 34% approve (18th highest of 28 categories – tied); 62% disapprove (11th highest of 28 categories – tied)
• Approve very strongly: 18%
• Approve not so strongly: 16%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 22%
• Disapprove very strongly: 39%

Race/ethnicity: White

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• Biden approval rating: 31% approve (24th highest of 28 categories); 67% disapprove (4th highest of 28 categories)
• Approve very strongly: 15%
• Approve not so strongly: 15%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 16%
• Disapprove very strongly: 50%

Race/ethnicity: Black

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• Biden approval rating: 57% approve (3rd highest of 28 categories); 39% disapprove (26th highest of 28 categories)
• Approve very strongly: 35%
• Approve not so strongly: 22%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 20%
• Disapprove very strongly: 19%

Race/ethnicity: Hispanic

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• Biden approval rating: 35% approve (14th highest of 28 categories – tied); 60% disapprove (16th highest of 28 categories – tied)
• Approve very strongly: 16%
• Approve not so strongly: 18%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 29%
• Disapprove very strongly: 31%

Race/ethnicity: Asian

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• Biden approval rating: 44% approve (7th highest of 28 categories – tied); 51% disapprove (23rd highest of 28 categories)
• Approve very strongly: 14%
• Approve not so strongly: 30%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 31%
• Disapprove very strongly: 19%

Age: 18-29 years old

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• Biden approval rating: 34% approve (18th highest of 28 categories – tied); 64% disapprove (7th highest of 28 categories)
• Approve very strongly: 11%
• Approve not so strongly: 22%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 30%
• Disapprove very strongly: 34%

Age: 30-49 years old

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• Biden approval rating: 35% approve (14th highest of 28 categories – tied); 62% disapprove (11th highest of 28 categories – tied)
• Approve very strongly: 13%
• Approve not so strongly: 22%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 22%
• Disapprove very strongly: 40%

Age: 50-64 years old

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• Biden approval rating: 36% approve (12th highest of 28 categories – tied); 61% disapprove (15th highest of 28 categories)
• Approve very strongly: 21%
• Approve not so strongly: 14%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 16%
• Disapprove very strongly: 45%

Age: 65 and older

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• Biden approval rating: 35% approve (14th highest of 28 categories – tied); 60% disapprove (16th highest of 28 categories – tied)
• Approve very strongly: 26%
• Approve not so strongly: 9%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 12%
• Disapprove very strongly: 47%

Educational attainment: Postgrad

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• Biden approval rating: 54% approve (4th highest of 28 categories); 44% disapprove (25th highest of 28 categories)
• Approve very strongly: 25%
• Approve not so strongly: 28%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 17%
• Disapprove very strongly: 27%

Educational attainment: College graduate

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• Biden approval rating: 38% approve (10th highest of 28 categories – tied); 60% disapprove (16th highest of 28 categories – tied)
• Approve very strongly: 17%
• Approve not so strongly: 21%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 20%
• Disapprove very strongly: 40%

Educational attainment: Some college

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• Biden approval rating: 32% approve (23rd highest of 28 categories); 66% disapprove (5th highest of 28 categories – tied)
• Approve very strongly: 15%
• Approve not so strongly: 17%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 19%
• Disapprove very strongly: 46%

Educational attainment: High school or less

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• Biden approval rating: 29% approve (25th highest of 28 categories – tied); 66% disapprove (5th highest of 28 categories – tied)
• Approve very strongly: 16%
• Approve not so strongly: 12%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 21%
• Disapprove very strongly: 44%

Party affiliation: Republican/lean Republican

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• Biden approval rating: 7% approve (28th highest of 28 categories); 92% disapprove (the highest of 28 categories)
• Approve very strongly: 3%
• Approve not so strongly: 4%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 17%
• Disapprove very strongly: 73%

Party affiliation: Democrat/lean Democrat

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• Biden approval rating: 65% approve (the highest of 28 categories); 33% disapprove (28th highest of 28 categories)
• Approve very strongly: 33%
• Approve not so strongly: 31%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 21%
• Disapprove very strongly: 12%

Religion: Protestant

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• Biden approval rating: 29% approve (25th highest of 28 categories – tied); 69% disapprove (3rd highest of 28 categories)
• Approve very strongly: 16%
• Approve not so strongly: 12%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 17%
• Disapprove very strongly: 50%

Religion: Catholic

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• Biden approval rating: 35% approve (14th highest of 28 categories – tied); 62% disapprove (11th highest of 28 categories – tied)
• Approve very strongly: 19%
• Approve not so strongly: 16%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 21%
• Disapprove very strongly: 40%

Religion: Unaffiliated

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• Biden approval rating: 43% approve (9th highest of 28 categories); 55% disapprove (20th highest of 28 categories)
• Approve very strongly: 18%
• Approve not so strongly: 24%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 23%
• Disapprove very strongly: 32%

Religion: Atheist

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• Biden approval rating: 63% approve (2nd highest of 28 categories); 35% disapprove (27th highest of 28 categories)
• Approve very strongly: 29%
• Approve not so strongly: 34%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 18%
• Disapprove very strongly: 18%

Religion: Agnostic

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• Biden approval rating: 52% approve (5th highest of 28 categories); 47% disapprove (24th highest of 28 categories)
• Approve very strongly: 17%
• Approve not so strongly: 34%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 25%
• Disapprove very strongly: 22%

Religion: Nothing in particular

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• Biden approval rating: 33% approve (22nd highest of 28 categories); 63% disapprove (8th highest of 28 categories – tied)
• Approve very strongly: 16%
• Approve not so strongly: 17%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 23%
• Disapprove very strongly: 40%

Income: Upper income

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• Biden approval rating: 45% approve (6th highest of 28 categories); 54% disapprove (21st highest of 28 categories)
• Approve very strongly: 20%
• Approve not so strongly: 24%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 14%
• Disapprove very strongly: 39%

Income: Middle income

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• Biden approval rating: 34% approve (18th highest of 28 categories – tied); 63% disapprove (8th highest of 28 categories – tied)
• Approve very strongly: 17%
• Approve not so strongly: 17%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 18%
• Disapprove very strongly: 45%

Income: Lower income

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• Biden approval rating: 34% approve (18th highest of 28 categories – tied); 63% disapprove (8th highest of 28 categories – tied)
• Approve very strongly: 18%
• Approve not so strongly: 15%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 27%
• Disapprove very strongly: 36%

Place of residence: Urban

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• Biden approval rating: 44% approve (7th highest of 28 categories – tied); 53% disapprove (22nd highest of 28 categories)
• Approve very strongly: 21%
• Approve not so strongly: 22%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 25%
• Disapprove very strongly: 28%

Place of residence: Suburban

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• Biden approval rating: 38% approve (10th highest of 28 categories – tied); 60% disapprove (16th highest of 28 categories – tied)
• Approve very strongly: 19%
• Approve not so strongly: 18%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 20%
• Disapprove very strongly: 40%

Place of residence: Rural

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• Biden approval rating: 23% approve (27th highest of 28 categories); 73% disapprove (2nd highest of 28 categories)
• Approve very strongly: 12%
• Approve not so strongly: 11%
• Disapprove not so strongly: 15%
• Disapprove very strongly: 57%