Assessments of how presidents will be remembered are increasingly polarized by party How do you think will go down inhistory as a president? (%) Above average Average Be low average
There is a substantial partisan gap in views of how Obama will go down in history. Fully 71% of Democrats and Democratic leaners say he will be remembered as an outstanding (30%) or above average (40%) president, while just 4% predict history will consider him below average or poor (24% expect him to be viewed as average).
By contrast, nearly six-in-ten (57%) Republicans and Republican leaners say he will be remembered as below average (21%) or poor (36%), while just 15% say he’ll go down in history as outstanding or above average (26% say he’ll be considered average).
Assessments of how presidents will be remembered  | are increasingly polarized by party  | How do you think will go down inhistory as a president? (%)  | Outstanding  | Above average Average  | Be low average  | Poor  | Barack Obama  | Rep/Lean Rep 2 13  | 26  | 21  | 36  | Dem/Lean Dem  | 30  | 40  | 24  | 2 2  | George W. Bush  | Rep/Lean Rep  | 18  | 43  | 24  | Dem/Lean Dem  | 25  | 51  | Bill Clinton  | Rep/Lean Rep 6 24  | 34  | 16 19  | Dem/Lean Dem  | 30  | 19  | 42  | George H.W. Bush  | Rep/Lean Rep  | 8  | 45  | 41  | Dem/Lean Dem 3 19  | 59  | 11  | Notes: Data for George H.W. Bush from Gallup (January, 1993).  | Don 'tknow responses notshown Q11  | Source: Survey conducted Nov. 30-Dec 5, 2016  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 