The number of Americans who consider themselves "liberal" or "very liberal" on social issues rose markedly over Obama's eight years. It seems Obama understood the problem facing American democracy but was unable to provide an immediate solution. The lack of confidence in political (and other) institutions helped contribute to Trump's victory, based on his positioning as a change candidate who consistently derided many government institutions as ineffective or corrupt. ![]() In 2009, 73% had such trust and confidence.īottom Line: Obama said many times before he left office, including in his last State of the Union address, that he regretted making no progress in reducing the divisiveness that has come to define American politics since at least the Bush presidency. In 2016, prior to that year's presidential election, a new low of 56% of Americans said they had trust and confidence in their fellow citizens when it comes to making decisions in our democratic process. Bush, was also the most polarizing president ever when he left office.īut Americans did not just lose confidence in elected officials - they also lost confidence in the electorate. This is the continuation of an in-progress trend Obama's immediate predecessor, George W. The difference in his job approval rating among Democrats and Republicans is the largest in Gallup polling history. Though Obama often spoke of bipartisanship, the president was a highly polarizing figure. But Obama's average approval rating over his two terms ranks among the lowest in Gallup history. ![]() Obama's job approval rating tended to fare better than that of Congress, as typically is the case when comparing the president to the Congress. By December 2016, little improvement had taken place, with approval standing at 17%. Throughout the past eight years, Congress continuously received dismal approval ratings, dropping to a yearly low of 14% approval in 2013. In 2009, the figure was 49%.Ĭonfidence in the Supreme Court and Congress sunk to record lows in 2014, at 30% and 7%, respectively. These include:Īmericans' trust in the nation's political leaders struck its lowest level in the final year of Obama's presidency, standing at 42%. ![]() Several measures relating to the public's confidence in government recorded historic lows at some point over the Obama presidency, while others flirted with this landmark. And indeed, marking one of the most significant shifts in public opinion over the past eight years, Americans are losing faith in all aspects of their government, from its political leaders, to long-standing institutions, to many of the agencies that provide public services. In his farewell address, Obama said that widespread disillusionment with the political system can "weaken the ties" that bind the nation. In the following sections, we review changes since 2009 in five major areas of public opinion. These shifts help explain the current political climate and provide a context for President Donald Trump's attempts to pursue his agenda now that he is in the White House. Others can be more directly attributed to the Obama presidency.īut whatever their provenance, a look at how attitudes have shifted over the Obama years can be important. Many of these changes were the result of social and cultural forces that would have occurred regardless of who was president. American public opinion changed in significant ways over the course of Barack Obama's eight years in the White House, including on issues such as the economy, race relations, and the level of confidence the public has in different aspects or actors in the government.
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