During President Joe Biden’s third full year in office, from Jan. 20, 2023, to Jan. 19, 2024, an average of 39.8% of Americans approved of his job performance. This places him among prior presidents in the Gallup polling era who were elected to their first term, with only Jimmy Carter faring worse in his third year, averaging 37.4% approval.
Biden’s third-year average was lower than both his first-year (48.9%) and second-year (41.0%) averages, making it the second lowest for recent presidents, ahead of only Trump in both years. He registered new personal lows of 37% job approval in April, October, and November 2023 surveys.
The latest Gallup poll indicates a job approval rating of 41% for Biden, with 54% disapproving of his job performance. His approval rating has ranged from the high 30s to low 40s since September 2021, following the troubled withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Party-wise, 83% of Democrats, 35% of independents, and 6% of Republicans approve of Biden’s job performance, consistent with recent trends.
As Biden seeks reelection, there is uncertainty about whether his job approval rating will improve this year. Historical evidence shows mixed results, with some presidents experiencing meaningful improvement in their fourth year and winning reelection, while others saw no significant change or a decline in approval ratings.