Whci presuidewnt had highest averaqge approval rating
Executive summary
Presidential approval ratings are tracked in different ways (daily poll averages, Gallup series, final compiled averages) and the highest short-term spikes differ from long-term averages. Sources show George W. Bush hit a 90% single-day Gallup approval after 9/11 (highest single measure) while modern poll aggregators track presidents’ average approval across terms; datasets for average approval across full presidencies are compiled by the American Presidency Project and ongoing daily averages by outlets such as The New York Times and Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. The technical question beneath the question: “Which president had the highest average approval?”
Polling has two different measures often conflated: isolated peak approval points (single polls) and an average approval across a term or set of polls. The Gallup series documents peak single-day highs — for example, George W. Bush reached a 90% approval rating after the September 11 attacks, which is the highest single Gallup figure in modern records [1]. By contrast, “average approval” across a presidency requires compiling many polls over time; institutions like The American Presidency Project provide those compiled averages [2].
2. The standout peak: George W. Bush’s 90% after 9/11
Historical polling highlights a dramatic rally effect: Gallup’s tracking shows George W. Bush registered a 90% job approval rating shortly after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 — the highest single approval measurement cited in the Gallup-based historical record [1]. That figure is a peak, not an across-term mean.
3. Why averages change the answer: aggregators and methodology matter
Daily or term-long averages come from different methodologies. Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin and The New York Times produce daily averaged lines that weight many polls to smooth short-term volatility and emphasize reliability [3] [4]. The American Presidency Project compiles “final” presidential job approval averages across presidencies based on Gallup and other sources [2]. Which president “had the highest average” depends on which dataset and time frame you choose [3] [4] [2].
4. Recent presidents: modern aggregations show different patterns
Recent reporting and aggregation work shows modern presidents rarely touch the extreme single-day highs seen in mid-20th-century crises. Polling aggregators noted Donald Trump’s approval has varied by term and pollster; Silver’s weighted averages and other aggregators place his average approval in recent reporting in the 40% range for portions of his presidency, and some analyses show his overall averages among the lowest since modern polling began [3] [5]. Exact ranking by “highest average” requires querying the American Presidency Project or a current aggregator with a stated timeframe [2] [3].
5. Conflicting signals and political use: peaks get headlines, averages matter for historians
Administrations and partisan outlets often highlight peak poll numbers; the White House reproduced claims of a 55% high-point in a September 2025 release, while independent aggregators contested broader interpretation of those numbers [6] [5]. Peaks are politically useful; historians and statisticians rely on averaged measures (the American Presidency Project, Gallup series, or weighted aggregators) to compare presidents across time [2] [1] [3].
6. What’s not answered in the provided reporting
The current set of sources does not give a single, authoritative ranked list of presidents by their full-term average approval using one uniform method; it documents peak highs (e.g., Bush at 90%) and points to compilation projects (American Presidency Project, Silver Bulletin) that can produce averages but require specification of method and time frame to answer definitively [1] [2] [3]. For a definitive “highest average” ranking, consult the American Presidency Project’s compiled averages or a named aggregator and specify whether you mean “highest mean across entire presidency” or “highest single poll reading” [2] [3].
7. How to get a decisive answer quickly
If you want a single-number answer, pick your metric: (A) highest single poll reading — use Gallup’s historical series (George W. Bush, 90% on 9/11) [1]; (B) highest average across an entire presidency — use the American Presidency Project final approval data or a named polling-aggregator’s full-term averages and note their methodology [2] [3]. Available sources do not include a ready-made ranked table of presidents by “highest average approval” using one uniform method without selecting the dataset first [2] [3].
Limitations: this piece relies on the supplied sources and their summaries; exact rankings by “average approval” depend on method and timeframe and are not directly enumerated in the current documents [2] [3].