If it's in the News, it's in our Polls. Public opinion polling since 2003.

Obama Administration

Most Recent Releases

June 20, 2017

Voters Favor Probe of Obama Staffers' Use of Intelligence Info

Republicans strongly suspect that senior Obama administration officials used secret U.S. intelligence information for political ammunition, and voters think that's worth investigating. But few believe criminal charges are likely.

White letter R on blue background
April 10, 2017

Voters Not Convinced Obama Wasn’t In On Trump Spying

Voters are split on whether President Barack Obama or his inner circle were aware that U.S. intelligence agencies were spying on Donald Trump’s campaign, but they don’t believe Obama officials leaked names picked up in the surveillance efforts to the media.

White letter R on blue background
March 9, 2017

Most Say ‘No’ to More Public Anti-Trump Role for Obama

Former President Obama is reportedly planning a more visible stand against President Trump and the GOP to protect his legacy, but most voters think that’s a bad idea.

White letter R on blue background
January 19, 2017

83% Say Trump Likely to Erase Most of Obama's Achievements

Even as the media lavishes praise on President Obama's legacy, voters strongly believe his successor will wipe out most of the changes made during the Obama years.

White letter R on blue background
January 18, 2017

For Voters, Obama’s Legacy Is A More Divided America

President Obama promised America hope and change eight years ago, but voters believe his presidency drove us further apart instead.

White letter R on blue background
January 18, 2017

Voters Rate Obamacare as Obama's Defining Moment

Voters are conflicted over outgoing President Barack Obama's place in history, but they agree the passage of Obamacare will be the defining marker of his presidency.

White letter R on blue background
January 15, 2017

Daily Obama Tracking Poll

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 62% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Obama's job performance. Thirty-eight percent (38%) disapprove.

The latest figures include 41% of who Strongly Approve of the way Obama is performing as president and 29% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of +12 (see trends).

Blacks (70%) are twice as likely as whites (37%) and other minority voters (37%) to Strongly Approve of the job the president is doing.

These are the final approval numbers we will post for Obama. Because Rasmussen Reports’ daily Presidential Tracking Poll is based on three days of surveying, we will not post new numbers again until Friday when we will begin tracking President Trump’s job approval.

Regular updates are posted Monday through Friday at 9:30 a.m. Eastern (sign up for free daily e-mail update).

White letter R on blue background
January 4, 2017

Obama Closes With Highest Approval of His Second Term

When tracking President Obama’s job approval on a daily basis, people sometimes get so caught up in the day-to-day fluctuations that they miss the bigger picture. To look at the longer-term trends, Rasmussen Reports compiles the numbers on a full-month basis, and the final results for Obama’s presidency can be seen in the graphics below.

December 5, 2016

Voters Say Trump Better for Small Business, Too Close to Big Business

Voters see President-elect Donald Trump as an improvement over President Obama when it comes to the handling of small business issues but are worried that he’ll be too chummy with big business.

White letter R on blue background
February 4, 2016

Voters Say No to Obama on Supreme Court

Hillary Clinton seemed receptive the other day to naming President Obama to the U.S. Supreme Court if she is elected to succeed him this fall. Most voters, however, don’t approve of putting Obama on the high court and still aren’t interested in him running for a third term as president either.

White letter R on blue background
January 14, 2016

Voters Say Terrorism Should Be Obama’s Chief Concern

Voters are increasingly critical of President Obama’s handling of national security issues and think he should focus on terrorism for the remainder of his time in the White House.

White letter R on blue background
December 30, 2015

Criticism of Obama’s Leadership Rises

As Barack Obama enters his final year as president, voters are more critical of his leadership abilities.

April 29, 2015

Voters See No Positive Change in Obama's Performance

Like his daily job approval ratings, voter reviews of President Obama's handling of the economy and national security have generally changed very little during his years in the White House.

December 1, 2014

How Should Congress React to Obama's Immigration Plan?

As members of Congress return to work, nearly half of voters still want them to stop President Obama’s new plan to protect up to five million illegal immigrants from deportation.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters think Congress should try to find ways to stop the president’s plan of allowing these illegal immigrants to stay in this country legally and apply for jobs. Forty-three percent (43%) believe Congress should allow this decision to stand. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on November 30, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

November 10, 2014

Voters Doubt Obama, GOP Congress Can Work Together

Voters question whether President Obama set the right tone in his first press conference after Election Day, and most aren’t optimistic about his working relationship with the new Republican congressional majority.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 24% of Likely U.S. Voters are at least somewhat confident that the president and the new Republican majority in Congress can work together and do what’s best for the American people. Seventy-three percent (73%) lack that confidence. This includes just six percent (6%) who are Very Confident the two sides can work together and 33% who are Not At All Confident. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on November 6-7, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

September 22, 2014

Voters See Obama As More Hurt Than Help in Upcoming Elections

Even Democrats don’t think a campaign visit by President Obama to their state this fall is a good idea for their party's candidates.

Just 22% of Likely U.S. Voters describe Barack Obama’s presidency as a success, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Nearly twice as many (42%) think the Obama presidency has been a failure. Thirty-three percent (33%) rate it somewhere in between. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 19-20, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

August 5, 2014

44% View Kerry Favorably

Despite his increased involvement in foreign policy hotspots like Israel and Ukraine, Secretary of State John Kerry continues to draw decidedly mixed views from U.S. voters.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters hold at least a somewhat favorable opinion of Kerry, while just as many (44%) view him unfavorably. This includes 12% with a Very Favorable opinion of the former Massachusetts senator and 26% with a Very Unfavorable one. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 29-30, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

July 15, 2014

Voters to Holder: Racism Is Not the Reason for Opposition to Obama

Attorney General Eric Holder on ABC News this past weekend again raised the idea that opposition to his and President Obama’s agenda is due in part to race. Most voters still don’t see racism playing a big part in that opposition.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 61% of Likely U.S. Voters think people who oppose the president’s policies do so primarily because they believe his policies are bad, not because of racism.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 11-12, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

July 14, 2014

There’s Support for Impeachment, But Most Like Electing A New Congress Better

Critics of President Obama have called for his impeachment and for lawsuits challenging his executive actions, but most voters nix both ideas. Better, they say, to elect an opposition Congress.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 32% of Likely U.S. Voters think President Obama should be impeached and removed from office. Nearly twice as many (58%) disagree and oppose his impeachment. Ten percent (10%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 11-12, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

July 1, 2014

44% Think Obama Less Faithful to U.S. Constitution Than Most Other Presidents

Most Democrats – and one-third of all voters – think President Obama should take action alone if Congress won’t agree with what he wants to do. But a plurality already believes the president has been less faithful to the Constitution than most of his predecessors in the White House.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 55% of Likely U.S. Voters believe that when it comes to dealing with issues the president considers important to the nation, the government should only do what the president and Congress agree on. Thirty-five percent (35%), however, think Obama should take action alone if Congress does not approve the initiatives he has proposed. Ten percent (10%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 28-29, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.