According to Gallup, the approval rating for US President Donald Trump fell to 36 percent in December.Image: keystone
After more than eight decades, the renowned US polling institute Gallup no longer wants to collect approval ratings for US presidents, according to media reports.
Feb 12, 2026, 2:39 p.mFeb 12, 2026, 2:39 p.m
The institute, which has been tracking presidential popularity ratings since Franklin D. Roosevelt, wants to focus instead on factual issues, quoted the “New York Times” the pollsters.
When asked whether political pressure contributed to the decision, Gallup emphasized, according to the US news portal “Axios”it is “a strategic realignment based exclusively on Gallup’s research goals and priorities” – such as surveys on topics that shape daily life. In addition, approval ratings for political personalities are now collected by many providers and are therefore no longer an area in which Gallup can make “the greatest independent contribution”.
Gallup recently gave Trump low ratings
According to Gallup, the approval rating for US President Donald Trump fell to 36 percent in December, according to the latest poll on the institute’s website. During his first term in office, the average value was a good 41 percent. For comparison: John F. Kennedy achieved the highest average approval rating of around 70 percent of the presidents recorded by Gallup.
Indicator of the mood in the country
For a long time, Gallup’s monthly survey was considered a barometer of Americans’ attitudes towards the White House. Political analysts and US media relied on this survey to understand changing trends in the country over time, wrote the New York Times.
According to The Hill portal, Gallup announced that it would no longer publish approval ratings of individual political figures starting this year. There was initially no more precise time information. (sda/dpa)