At 37 percent, Donald Trump’s most recent approval rating is low by historical standards, but it’s remained fairly consistent since it first dipped into the mid-thirties back in June. President Trump continues to hold strong support from a few key groups, but he has made no permanent gains among the larger coalition of Americans that began the year in opposition to his presidency.
However, while his approval rating has remained relatively constant, some previously undecided voters have moved into the “disapprove” camp. As a result, President Trump’s disapproval rating rose ten points over the past year, from 48 percent in February 2017 to a majority of 58 percent today.
Disapproval climbs among independents
Among independents the shift is even more dramatic, since many independents had yet to make up their minds when Mr. Trump first took office. Whereas in February, less than half of independents (46 percent) said they disapproved how President Trump was handling his job, previously undecided independents have swelled that percentage to a majority of 60 percent today – a 14-point rise.
Disapproval rises among “somewhat” conservative, white evangelicals, though they still back Trump
Conservatives, unlike liberals and moderates, continue to support the president in strong numbers. But while approval among liberals and moderates started low and remains low, support among conservatives, though high, has dropped slightly – from 71 percent in February to 65 percent now.
The shift is among those who say they are only somewhat conservative – a group that makes up the majority of conservatives and one in five Americans overall. While most Americans who say they are somewhat conservative still approve of how Donald Trump is handling his job as President, disapproval among this group has risen 15 points – from 25 percent in February to 40 percent today. In contrast, support among very conservative Americans – who make up 14 percent of the total – has not changed significantly.
Another group that remains firmly behind the President is white evangelicals. Eight in 10 evangelicals voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 general election, and Donald Trump’s approval rating among white evangelicals has been consistently strong since he assumed office – hovering in the mid-sixties. Nevertheless, disapproval among this group has risen 11 points since February, from 22 percent to 33 percent.
Black Americans strongly disapprove, and now white Americans disapprove, too
Entering the Oval Office, white Americans approved of the job President Trump was doing by a margin of nine percentage points (49 – 40 percent). By summer, however, more whites disapproved than approved of how Donald Trump was handling his job. Just over half of white Americans (51 percent) continue to disapprove today.
Black Americans, on the other hand, have overwhelmingly disapproved of the President’s job performance from the beginning. But even their disapproval rating has risen, from 83 percent in February to 96 percent today.
Both men and women disapprove
Back in February more men approved (48 percent) than disapproved (41 percent) of the job Mr. Trump was doing by a margin of seven points. Now, just over half of men – 54 percent – disapprove.
Meanwhile, a majority of women have continued to disapprove, and that percentage has risen since the beginning of the year – from 55 percent in February to 63 percent today.
Older Americans now disapprove, too
Disapproval has risen among all age groups as well. While younger Americans have expressed disapproval of President Trump’s job performance, Americans 45 and older approved of the job Mr. Trump was doing – at least at first. Now just over half of older voters (53 percent) disapprove.
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