Jimmy Carter presidential approval U.S. 1977-1980| ��ƽ��

Presidential approval rating of Jimmy Carter in the United States from 1977 to 1980

Characteristic	Approval rating
Dec 8, 1980	34%
Nov 24, 1980	31%
Sep 15, 1980	37%
Aug 18, 1980	32%
Jul 14, 1980	33%
Jun 30, 1980	31%
Jun 16, 1980	32%
Jun 2, 1980	38%
May 19, 1980	38%
May 5, 1980	43%
Apr 14, 1980	39%
Mar 30, 1980	39%
Mar 10, 1980	43%
Mar 3, 2980	52%
Feb 4, 1980	55%
Jan 28, 1980	58%
Jan 8, 1980	56%
Dec 10, 1979	54%
Dec 3, 1979	51%
Nov 19, 1979	38%
Nov 5, 1979	32%
Oct 15, 1979	31%
Oct 8, 1979	29%
Oct 1, 1979	33%
Sep 10, 1979	30%
Aug 20, 1979	32%
Aug 13, 1979	33%
Aug 6, 1979	32%
Jul 16, 1979	29%
Jul 2, 1979	28%
Jun 25, 1979	29%
Jun 4, 1979	29%
May 21, 1979	32%
May 7, 1979	37%
Apr 9, 1979	40%
Mar 31, 1979	42%
Mar 19, 1979	47%
Mar 5, 1979	39%
Feb 26, 1979	37%
Feb 5, 1979	42%
Jan 22, 1979	43%
Jan 8, 1979	50%
Dec 11, 1978	51%
Dec 4, 1978	50%
Nov 13, 1978	52%
Oct 30, 1978	49%
Sep 25, 1978	48%
Sep 18, 1978	45%
Sep 11, 1978	42%
Aug 21, 1978	43%
Aug 14, 1978	40%
Aug 7, 1978	39%
Jul 24, 1978	39%
Jul 10, 1978	40%
Jun 19, 1978	42%
Jun 5, 1978	44%
May 22, 1978	43%
May 8, 1978	41%
May 1, 1978	41%
Apr 17, 1978	40%
Apr 3, 1978	48%
Mar 13, 1978	50%
Mar 5, 1978	49%
Feb 27, 1978	50%
Feb 14, 1978	47%
Jan 23, 1978	52%
Jan 9, 1978	55%
Dec 12, 1977	57%
Nov 21, 1977	56%
Nov 7, 1977	55%
Oct 31, 1977	51%
Oct 24, 1977	54%
Oct 17, 1977	55%
Oct 3, 1977	59%
Sep 12, 1977	54%
Aug 22, 1977	66%
Aug 8, 1977	60%
Jul 25, 1977	67%
Jul 11, 1977	62%
Jun 20, 1977	63%
Jun 6, 1977	63%
May 23, 1977	64%
May 9, 1977	66%
May 2, 1977	63%
Apr 18, 1977	63%
Apr 4, 1977	67%
Mar 28, 1977	72%
Mar 21, 1977	75%
Mar 7, 1977	70%
Feb 21, 1977	71%
Feb 7, 1977	66%

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Release date

February 2023

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Region

United States

Survey time period

1977 to 1980

Supplementary notes

Release date is date of last access.

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Democratic President Jimmy Carter enjoyed high approval ratings at the start of presidency, peaking at 75 percent approval in March, 1977. Carter left office with an approval rating of 34 percent, handing over the presidency to Ronald Regan in 1981.

President Jimmy Carter

Carter rose to the presidency during a time in which the American people were disillusioned with government following the Watergate scandal under Richard Nixon. He styled himself as an outsider to Washington, and secured the Democratic nomination in 1976. He ran against Republican incumbent Gerald Ford who briefly took over as president role after Nixon resigned. Carter introduced a number of ambitious programs for social and economic reforms, and included a relatively large number of women in his cabinet compared with his predecessors.

Despite a Democratic majority in both the House and Senate, Congress opposed Carter's proposal for welfare reform, as well as an energy package that was one of the central focuses of his presidency. This ultimately led the American public to view him as an ineffective leader. His approval took an even greater hit after workers at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran were taken hostage by militarized Iranian college students in November 1979. In what became known as the Iran Hostage Crisis, Carter was unable to secure the release of the U.S. diplomats and citizens being held there. The state of emergency declared at the time remains in place, and is the longest state of emergency still in place today.

Post-presidency life

After leaving the office of the president, Carter began a successful career in diplomacy. In 1994 he helped President Bill Clinton negotiate denuclearization with North Korea. He took on additional diplomatic roles in South Africa, working alongside Nelson Mandela, as well as in Darfur, Sudan, Zimbabwe and Syria.

In 1982, he founded the Carter Center alongside his wife Rosalynn. The Center focuses on the advancement of human rights, and the alleviation of human suffering worldwide. In 2002, Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in finding peaceful solutions to international conflicts, advancing democracy and human rights, and promoting economic and social development. As of February 2023, Carter is the longest living president in U.S. history.