Public perceptions of past presidents: A study of presidential legacy

Abstract

This project seeks to determine if attitudes about presidents change significantly after they have left office. I further examine the relationship between age, political ideology, and current individual-level presidential approval rating for all presidents since President Truman. By conducting a survey based on historic Gallup Poll phrasing I ask "Did you approve of the job [the president] did as president?" I find that there does exist in many cases a significant relationship between both age and presidential approval and political Ideology and presidential approval. I also notice that after a certain point in time there no longer exists such a distinction between political ideology and presidential approval rating but at this point, I speculate historical perception begins to play more of a role than opinion.