Score One for the Gipper

Analysis By Bobbi Jo Fuller, ABCNEWS.com

Feb. 29 Absence has made the publics heart
grow fonder, at least in Ronald Reagans case.

Asked to rate his performance in office, 64 percent
of Americans now approve, according to a new 
ABCNEWS.com poll. Thats eight points better 
than Reagans career average job approval rating while he was in office, 56 percent.

Reagans career average lands him at the center of the pack of postwar presidents, behind John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower and George Bush, and tied with Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton. His ratings ranged from a low of 42 percent in early 1983, several months after unemployment soared to heights unseen since 1940, to a high of 73 in 1981, just after John Hinckley Jr. shot him.

Why?

There are several likely reasons for Reagans jump in approval. Distance from the mudslinging of national politics is one; presidents often enjoy higher approval ratings after they leave office (Jimmy Carter is a case in point). He may also be benefiting from public sympathy; Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease in 1994 and has recently been the subject of news stories detailing his declining health.

Also, the former president has pretty much stayed out of the national limelight in the dozen years since his departure, letting memories of his time in office grow gracefully dimmer. Todays economy eclipses the hardships of the early 80s, while the Clinton impeachment may put the Iran-Contra affair in a less damaging perspective.

Reagans ratings for his work in office are lowest among the oldest Americans, though he still gets a majority at 57 percent. These individuals were 45 years old and older when he took office, and may have been hit hard by the economic recession that took place as they approached retirement age.

Not surprisingly, party affiliation comes into play. A whopping 94 percent of Republicans give Reagan their approval, compared to just 44 percent of Democrats. Independents fall in the middle, giving him a 64 percent rating.

Methodology

This ABCNEWS.com survey was conducted by telephone Feb. 23-27 among a random national sample of 1,014 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Field work was done by ICR-International Communications Research of Media, Pa.