Norms Impact
Gallup will no longer measure presidential approval after 88 years
Gallup’s exit from presidential approval polling removes a shared yardstick of executive accountability, weakening a long-standing public-feedback norm central to democratic scrutiny.
Feb 11, 2026
Sources
Summary
Gallup is ending its publication of presidential approval and favorability ratings, a practice it maintained for more than 88 years. The change redirects a long-standing public benchmark away from individual political accountability toward broader issue and conditions research. The practical consequence is a thinner, less standardized public record of presidential performance that media and the public have relied on for decades.
Reality Check
When a dominant, long-running measure of presidential performance disappears, the vacuum gets filled by partisan, nontransparent metrics that weaken our ability to hold power to account in real time. Nothing here suggests a criminal act; ending a poll is not bribery, extortion, or election interference under federal law, and there is no conduct described that implicates statutes like 18 U.S.C. §§ 201 or 371. The damage is structural: we lose a standardized, widely recognized benchmark that helped anchor public debate in a consistent series rather than a rotating set of competing narratives.
Detail
<p>Gallup confirmed Wednesday that it will no longer track and publish presidential approval ratings after more than eight decades. The company said that beginning this year it will stop releasing approval and favorability ratings for individual political figures.</p><p>In a statement, Gallup described the decision as “an evolution in how Gallup focuses its public research and thought leadership,” and said its work would concentrate on “long-term, methodologically sound research on issues and conditions that shape people’s lives.” Gallup said this research will continue through the Gallup Poll Social Series, the Gallup Quarterly Business Review, the World Poll, and its U.S. and global research portfolio.</p><p>The Washington Post first reported the change. Gallup’s presidential approval rating has long been one of the most frequently cited measures used by media outlets to describe public opinion of a president’s performance.</p>