When asked which president has done the best job in their lifetimes, more Americans name Barack Obama than any other president. More than four-in-ten (44%) say Obama is the best or second best president of their lifetimes, compared with about a third who mention Bill Clinton (33%) or Ronald Reagan (32%).
Not yet halfway through his term, 19% say Donald Trump has done the best or second best job of any president of their lifetimes. That is comparable with the share who viewed Obama as one of the best presidents in 2011 (20%).
The survey by Pew Research Center, conducted June 5-12 among 2,002 adults, asks people in an open-ended format which president has done the best job in their lifetimes. The analysis is based on their first and second choices.
About one-in-ten adults (12%) say John F. Kennedy did the best job in office during their lifetimes. But Kennedy is named as the best or second best president by about a quarter of those who were alive during his presidency: 24% of Baby Boomers and 25% of those in the Silent Generation.
Generations’ views of the best president
People’s views of the best president of their lifetimes are partly tied to their ages. Millennials, who are currently ages 22 to 37, are far more likely than older generations to name Obama as one of the best presidents in their lifetimes: About six-in-ten Millennials (62%) view Obama as one of the top two, with nearly half, 46%, naming him the best president….
image…Politico
44% saying Obama is a very impressive number.
I’m actually surprised that Trump didn’t surpassed Reagan. Trump is a borrow and spend Republican even more than Reagan.
It’s kind of an odd poll considering that people are going to be of different ages and thus not all subject to the same data sample controls in terms of how many options they had and with regard to age, who they even remember as President, etc.
It makes sense that the most recent Presidents would rank higher since that is who they were alive for and that is what they remember.
For my lifetime, it’s tough to choose between Reagan and GWB as the best.
and the “first *or* sccond choice” gets lost in the write-up too.
An incredibly impressive number Zreebs, especially when you compare it to George W’s number.
You remember him, that “shinning” example of an affable fool.