What were Barack Obama’s average approval ratings during each year of his second term (2013–2016)?

1. 2013 — The second-term slide becomes visible

Public measurements in late 2013 captured the start of a pronounced decline in Obama’s job approval: Gallup reported the president “wrapped up 2013 with an average 41% approval rating in December,” and contemporaneous coverage described a steady slide through the year amid controversies such as the Affordable Care Act rollout and the federal government shutdown ^{[1] [6]}. Pew’s fall 2013 analysis likewise characterized a struggling year with overall job rating down to about 41% and marked weakness on economic issues, underscoring that multiple reputable trackers recorded a similar downshift though month-to-month volatility was substantial ^[4].

2. 2014 — A roughly steady low‑40s plateau

By the end of 2014, major public polling averaged in the low 40s: PBS cited Gallup’s calculation that Obama’s average for 2014 was about 42 percent, a year in which the president’s approval recovered modestly at times as economic indicators improved and foreign-policy moves earned approval among some groups ^[2]. That year’s average reflects a plateau rather than a dramatic rebound, and reporting at the time noted rising approval among Hispanics and upticks tied to discrete events—illustrating how demographic shifts and episodic policy actions influence annual averages ^[2].

3. 2015 — Little overall movement, Gallup’s year‑six estimate

Gallup’s retrospective reporting lists Obama’s sixth-year average at about 42.6 percent, indicating little net change from 2014 and confirming the narrative of a presidency stuck in a polarized, sub‑50 approval range during much of its penultimate year ^[3]. Analysts at the time emphasized that stagnation reflected persistent partisan polarization—wide Democratic support and near-total Republican opposition—so averages mask intense partisan splits even as the overall number remained in the low 40s ^{[3] [4]}.

4. 2016 — A measurable rebound into the mid‑40s

Obama’s approval rose in his final year: Gallup reports a 2016 year average of 46.2 percent, and multiple outlets chronicled spikes tied to positive economic news, diplomatic achievements, and improving public sentiment during his final 12 months ^{[3] [5]}. While week-to-week polls showed larger swings (Politico highlighted a 50% weekly measure in March 2016), Gallup’s annualized figure of 46.2 percent is the standard year‑level summary cited by scholars and journalists ^{[5] [3]}.

5. Methodological caveats and why numbers differ across sources

Annual averages depend on the pollster, sampling method, and whether one reports monthly or weekly aggregates versus calendar‑year means: Gallup’s year‑by‑year averages are frequently used for historical comparison ^{[7] [3]}, but other compilations (e.g., Pew, American Presidency Project, Statista) can show small differences because they draw on different polls, weighting schemes, or time windows ^{[2] [8] [9]}. Reporting agendas matter too—some outlets emphasize dramatic weekly swings to tell a political narrative, while institutional trackers aim for smoothed annual measures—so readers should treat single percentages as useful but partial summaries ^{[6] [5]}.

Conclusion — A low‑40s presidency that finished stronger

Across major trackers and scholarly summaries, Obama’s second-term annual averages cluster in the low 40s for 2013–2015 and move up into the mid‑40s in 2016 (Gallup: ~41% in late 2013, ~42% for 2014, 42.6% in 2015, 46.2% in 2016) while broader polling ecosystems reflect similar patterns with minor variance depending on method and timing ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}. Sources used: Gallup’s year summaries and tracking ^{[1] [3] [7]}, Pew Research and PBS contemporaneous reporting on annual averages and demographic shifts ^{[4] [2]}, and mainstream media snapshots that capture weekly peaks and narrative context ^{[5] [6]}.