Leadership
Presidential Greatness
President | Presidential Greatness Rating↓ | Presidential Greatness Rating 2018 | Years in Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham Lincoln | 93.87 | 95.03 |
|
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | 90.83 | 89.09 |
|
| George Washington | 90.32 | 92.59 |
|
| Theodore Roosevelt | 78.58 | 81.39 |
|
| Thomas Jefferson | 77.53 | 79.54 |
|
| Harry S. Truman | 75.34 | 75.15 |
|
| Barack Obama | 73.80 | 71.13 |
|
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | 73.73 | 74.03 |
|
| Lyndon B. Johnson | 72.86 | 69.06 |
|
| John F. Kennedy | 68.37 | 61.86 |
|
| James Madison | 67.16 | 64.48 |
|
| Bill Clinton | 66.42 | 64.25 |
|
| John Adams | 62.66 | 63.24 |
|
| Joe Biden | 62.66 |
| |
| Woodrow Wilson | 61.80 | 67.40 |
|
| Ronald Reagan | 61.62 | 69.24 |
|
| Ulysses S. Grant | 60.93 | 52.88 |
|
| James Monroe | 60.15 | 60.74 |
|
| George H.W. Bush | 58.54 | 40.42 |
|
| John Quincy Adams | 55.41 | 51.90 |
|
| Andrew Jackson | 54.70 | 62.16 |
|
| Jimmy Carter | 54.26 | 45.04 |
|
| William Howard Taft | 51.67 | 51.96 |
|
| William McKinley | 51.23 | 55.49 |
|
| James K. Polk | 49.83 | 54.09 |
|
| Grover Cleveland | 48.31 | 51.01 |
|
| Gerald Ford | 46.09 | 47.28 |
|
| Martin Van Buren | 45.46 | 44.27 |
|
| Rutherford B. Hayes | 41.15 | 41.50 |
|
| James A. Garfield | 40.98 | 36.64 |
|
| Benjamin Harrison | 40.64 | 37.63 |
|
| George W. Bush | 40.43 | 60.90 |
|
| Chester A. Arthur | 39.61 | 39.90 |
|
| Calvin Coolidge | 39.38 | 42.23 |
|
| Richard Nixon | 36.41 | 37.18 |
|
| Herbert Hoover | 34.08 | 33.27 |
|
| John Tyler | 32.99 | 31.46 |
|
| Zachary Taylor | 32.97 | 33.34 |
|
| Millard Fillmore | 30.33 | 27.71 |
|
| Warren G. Harding | 27.76 | 25.26 |
|
| William Henry Harrison | 26.01 | 19.02 |
|
| Franklin Pierce | 24.60 | 23.25 |
|
| Andrew Johnson | 21.56 | 24.91 |
|
| James Buchanan | 16.71 | 15.09 |
|
| Donald Trump | 10.92 | 12.34 |
|
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President | Change in Rank 2015-2024↓ | Change in Rank 2018-2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Barack Obama | 9 | 1 |
| Ulysses S. Grant | 9 | 4 |
| John F. Kennedy | 4 | 6 |
| Jimmy Carter | 4 | 4 |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | 3 | 1 |
| George W. Bush | 3 | -1 |
| James Madison | 2 | 1 |
| John Adams | 2 | |
| James Monroe | 2 | -3 |
| John Quincy Adams | 2 | 4 |
| Herbert Hoover | 2 | -2 |
| Warren G. Harding | 2 | -1 |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | 1 | 1 |
| Rutherford B. Hayes | 1 | 1 |
| James A. Garfield | 1 | 5 |
| George Washington | -1 | -1 |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | -1 | -2 |
| Chester A. Arthur | -1 | -4 |
| Richard Nixon | -1 | -2 |
| John Tyler | -1 | |
| James Buchanan | -1 | -1 |
| George H.W. Bush | -2 | -2 |
| Benjamin Harrison | -2 | 1 |
| Millard Fillmore | -2 | -1 |
| William Henry Harrison | -2 | 1 |
| Franklin Pierce | -2 | -1 |
| Andrew Johnson | -2 | -3 |
| William Howard Taft | -3 | -1 |
| William McKinley | -3 | -5 |
| Grover Cleveland | -3 | -3 |
| Gerald Ford | -3 | -2 |
| Martin Van Buren | -3 | -1 |
| Bill Clinton | -4 | 2 |
| Woodrow Wilson | -5 | -4 |
| Ronald Reagan | -5 | -7 |
| Zachary Taylor | -5 | -2 |
| James K. Polk | -6 | -5 |
| Calvin Coolidge | -7 | -6 |
| Andrew Jackson | -12 | -3 |
| Abraham Lincoln | ||
| Theodore Roosevelt | ||
| Thomas Jefferson | ||
| Harry S. Truman | 1 | |
| Joe Biden | ||
| Donald Trump | -1 |
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President | Avg Rank by Repulicans↑ | Avg Rank by Democrats | Avg Rank by Independents/Others |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Abraham Lincoln | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Theodore Roosevelt | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Ronald Reagan | 5 | 18 | 14 |
| Thomas Jefferson | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Harry S. Truman | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | 8 | 9 | 6 |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| Bill Clinton | 10 | 12 | 11 |
| George H.W. Bush | 11 | 19 | 15 |
| Andrew Jackson | 12 | 22 | 22 |
| Woodrow Wilson | 13 | 16 | 16 |
| John F. Kennedy | 14 | 10 | 10 |
| Barack Obama | 15 | 6 | 8 |
| James Madison | 16 | 11 | 12 |
| James Monroe | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| William McKinley | 18 | 24 | 21 |
| George W. Bush | 19 | 33 | 31 |
| John Adams | 20 | 15 | 13 |
| William Howard Taft | 21 | 23 | 23 |
| Gerald Ford | 22 | 28 | 27 |
| James K. Polk | 23 | 25 | 24 |
| Calvin Coolidge | 24 | 34 | 33 |
| Richard Nixon | 25 | 35 | 36 |
| Grover Cleveland | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| Jimmy Carter | 27 | 20 | 25 |
| Ulysses S. Grant | 28 | 14 | 18 |
| John Quincy Adams | 29 | 21 | 20 |
| Joe Biden | 30 | 13 | 19 |
| Martin Van Buren | 31 | 27 | 28 |
| Chester A. Arthur | 32 | 32 | 34 |
| Rutherford B. Hayes | 33 | 30 | 30 |
| Benjamin Harrison | 34 | 31 | 32 |
| Herbert Hoover | 35 | 38 | 35 |
| James A. Garfield | 36 | 29 | 29 |
| Zachary Taylor | 37 | 36 | 38 |
| Millard Fillmore | 38 | 39 | 39 |
| Warren G. Harding | 39 | 40 | 40 |
| John Tyler | 40 | 37 | 37 |
| Donald Trump | 41 | 45 | 45 |
| William Henry Harrison | 42 | 41 | 42 |
| Franklin Pierce | 43 | 42 | 41 |
| Andrew Johnson | 44 | 43 | 43 |
| James Buchanan | 45 | 44 | 44 |
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President | Avg Rank by Conservatives↑ | Avg Rank by Liberals | Avg Rank by Moderates |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Abraham Lincoln | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Thomas Jefferson | 4 | 5 | 7 |
| Ronald Reagan | 5 | 18 | 11 |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | 6 | 9 | 6 |
| Theodore Roosevelt | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Harry S. Truman | 8 | 8 | 5 |
| George H.W. Bush | 9 | 20 | 16 |
| Bill Clinton | 10 | 12 | 12 |
| John F. Kennedy | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | 12 | 7 | 8 |
| Barack Obama | 13 | 6 | 9 |
| James Madison | 14 | 11 | 13 |
| Woodrow Wilson | 15 | 16 | 15 |
| John Adams | 16 | 14 | 19 |
| James Monroe | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Andrew Jackson | 18 | 22 | 14 |
| George W. Bush | 19 | 33 | 30 |
| Jimmy Carter | 20 | 19 | 26 |
| Ulysses S. Grant | 21 | 15 | 18 |
| William McKinley | 22 | 24 | 22 |
| William Howard Taft | 23 | 23 | 24 |
| John Quincy Adams | 24 | 21 | 23 |
| Gerald Ford | 25 | 28 | 27 |
| Grover Cleveland | 26 | 26 | 25 |
| James K. Polk | 27 | 25 | 21 |
| Calvin Coolidge | 28 | 34 | 28 |
| Richard Nixon | 29 | 35 | 35 |
| Joe Biden | 30 | 13 | 20 |
| Martin Van Buren | 31 | 27 | 29 |
| Herbert Hoover | 32 | 38 | 36 |
| Rutherford B. Hayes | 33 | 30 | 34 |
| Benjamin Harrison | 34 | 31 | 31 |
| Chester A. Arthur | 35 | 32 | 33 |
| Zachary Taylor | 36 | 36 | 38 |
| John Tyler | 37 | 37 | 37 |
| James A. Garfield | 38 | 29 | 32 |
| Millard Fillmore | 39 | 39 | 39 |
| Warren G. Harding | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| Andrew Johnson | 41 | 43 | 43 |
| William Henry Harrison | 42 | 41 | 41 |
| Donald Trump | 43 | 45 | 45 |
| Franklin Pierce | 44 | 42 | 42 |
| James Buchanan | 45 | 44 | 44 |
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President | Avg Rating by Republicans↓ | Avg Rating by Democrats | Avg Rating by Independents/Others |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington | 96.94 | 90.19 | 88.71 |
| Abraham Lincoln | 94.31 | 94.73 | 91.48 |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | 86.75 | 93.13 | 86.61 |
| Theodore Roosevelt | 81.31 | 79.83 | 74.20 |
| Ronald Reagan | 80.56 | 58.64 | 62.65 |
| Thomas Jefferson | 79.63 | 78.88 | 74.24 |
| Harry S. Truman | 77.13 | 76.29 | 72.26 |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | 75.38 | 73.42 | 73.94 |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | 68.19 | 75.33 | 68.53 |
| Bill Clinton | 67.88 | 67.13 | 64.13 |
| George H.W. Bush | 66.44 | 56.50 | 60.40 |
| Andrew Jackson | 64.50 | 52.90 | 55.23 |
| Woodrow Wilson | 64.00 | 61.80 | 60.06 |
| John F. Kennedy | 63.88 | 69.61 | 66.48 |
| Barack Obama | 61.56 | 77.57 | 68.87 |
| James Madison | 61.19 | 69.42 | 64.06 |
| James Monroe | 60.63 | 60.76 | 59.48 |
| William McKinley | 58.75 | 48.09 | 55.32 |
| George W. Bush | 58.44 | 36.62 | 43.24 |
| John Adams | 58.25 | 62.84 | 63.60 |
| William Howard Taft | 57.19 | 49.34 | 53.76 |
| Gerald Ford | 56.19 | 43.42 | 48.81 |
| James K. Polk | 53.94 | 47.68 | 53.06 |
| Calvin Coolidge | 53.88 | 35.87 | 42.12 |
| Richard Nixon | 50.81 | 33.09 | 38.35 |
| Grover Cleveland | 50.44 | 46.38 | 51.10 |
| Jimmy Carter | 50.19 | 56.12 | 51.41 |
| Ulysses S. Grant | 49.44 | 62.96 | 59.02 |
| John Quincy Adams | 49.06 | 55.88 | 56.23 |
| Joe Biden | 47.69 | 66.88 | 57.00 |
| Martin Van Buren | 45.81 | 44.85 | 47.06 |
| Chester A. Arthur | 41.63 | 38.22 | 41.96 |
| Rutherford B. Hayes | 41.56 | 39.69 | 43.92 |
| Benjamin Harrison | 41.06 | 39.65 | 42.76 |
| Herbert Hoover | 39.94 | 30.24 | 39.79 |
| James A. Garfield | 36.56 | 39.81 | 44.41 |
| Zachary Taylor | 35.81 | 31.46 | 35.78 |
| Millard Fillmore | 33.38 | 28.60 | 33.52 |
| Warren G. Harding | 32.63 | 26.13 | 29.08 |
| John Tyler | 32.06 | 31.36 | 36.94 |
| Donald Trump | 31.38 | 6.66 | 13.96 |
| William Henry Harrison | 29.13 | 25.96 | 25.80 |
| Franklin Pierce | 27.00 | 23.27 | 27.14 |
| Andrew Johnson | 23.88 | 20.00 | 24.39 |
| James Buchanan | 14.50 | 16.33 | 18.34 |
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President | Avg Rating by Conservatives↓ | Avg Rating by Liberals | Avg Rating by Moderates |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington | 97.10 | 88.75 | 91.50 |
| Abraham Lincoln | 91.29 | 93.60 | 95.40 |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | 87.00 | 91.39 | 90.69 |
| Thomas Jefferson | 81.19 | 77.22 | 76.89 |
| Ronald Reagan | 79.14 | 55.85 | 69.17 |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | 77.95 | 71.45 | 78.05 |
| Theodore Roosevelt | 77.67 | 78.17 | 79.04 |
| Harry S. Truman | 76.38 | 73.85 | 78.47 |
| George H.W. Bush | 67.71 | 54.98 | 63.61 |
| Bill Clinton | 66.81 | 65.54 | 68.17 |
| John F. Kennedy | 65.48 | 68.08 | 69.84 |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | 65.19 | 74.10 | 72.65 |
| Barack Obama | 65.00 | 76.23 | 70.96 |
| James Madison | 63.76 | 67.67 | 67.31 |
| Woodrow Wilson | 63.43 | 60.08 | 64.47 |
| John Adams | 62.90 | 62.71 | 62.42 |
| James Monroe | 61.76 | 59.30 | 62.65 |
| Andrew Jackson | 59.52 | 49.93 | 64.79 |
| George W. Bush | 56.38 | 34.67 | 48.36 |
| Jimmy Carter | 54.86 | 55.35 | 51.07 |
| Ulysses S. Grant | 54.48 | 61.01 | 62.61 |
| William McKinley | 54.48 | 47.55 | 59.50 |
| William Howard Taft | 54.14 | 48.25 | 58.37 |
| John Quincy Adams | 52.71 | 54.72 | 58.45 |
| Gerald Ford | 52.29 | 43.73 | 49.47 |
| Grover Cleveland | 50.19 | 45.17 | 54.95 |
| James K. Polk | 49.57 | 46.12 | 59.83 |
| Calvin Coolidge | 47.95 | 34.23 | 48.64 |
| Richard Nixon | 47.29 | 32.46 | 40.78 |
| Joe Biden | 45.52 | 65.44 | 62.04 |
| Martin Van Buren | 43.76 | 44.87 | 48.45 |
| Herbert Hoover | 42.57 | 29.77 | 40.65 |
| Rutherford B. Hayes | 41.38 | 39.79 | 44.35 |
| Benjamin Harrison | 40.95 | 38.62 | 45.88 |
| Chester A. Arthur | 39.57 | 37.40 | 45.60 |
| Zachary Taylor | 37.67 | 32.06 | 33.78 |
| John Tyler | 36.33 | 31.57 | 35.46 |
| James A. Garfield | 35.62 | 40.07 | 45.68 |
| Millard Fillmore | 34.14 | 28.83 | 33.00 |
| Warren G. Harding | 34.10 | 25.58 | 29.71 |
| Andrew Johnson | 28.57 | 20.36 | 21.61 |
| William Henry Harrison | 27.85 | 24.63 | 29.58 |
| Donald Trump | 26.76 | 6.97 | 14.21 |
| Franklin Pierce | 25.81 | 23.50 | 27.55 |
| James Buchanan | 17.57 | 16.24 | 17.70 |
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President | Times Chosen Most Polarizing | Avg Most Polarizing Rank↑ |
|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump | 170 | 1.4 |
| Andrew Johnson | 39 | 3.1 |
| Andrew Jackson | 74 | 3.4 |
| Barack Obama | 69 | 3.5 |
| Richard Nixon | 55 | 3.5 |
| Abraham Lincoln | 33 | 3.6 |
| Joe Biden | 36 | 3.6 |
| Ronald Reagan | 66 | 3.6 |
| George W. Bush | 55 | 3.6 |
| Woodrow Wilson | 21 | 4 |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | 31 | 4.5 |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | 24 | 4.8 |
| Bill Clinton | 24 | 4.9 |
| George Washington | ||
| Theodore Roosevelt | ||
| Thomas Jefferson | ||
| Harry S. Truman | ||
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | ||
| John F. Kennedy | ||
| James Madison | ||
| John Adams | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| James Monroe | ||
| George H.W. Bush | ||
| John Quincy Adams | ||
| Jimmy Carter | ||
| William Howard Taft | ||
| William McKinley | ||
| James K. Polk | ||
| Grover Cleveland | ||
| Gerald Ford | ||
| Martin Van Buren | ||
| Rutherford B. Hayes | ||
| James A. Garfield | ||
| Benjamin Harrison | ||
| Chester A. Arthur | ||
| Calvin Coolidge | ||
| Herbert Hoover | ||
| John Tyler | ||
| Zachary Taylor | ||
| Millard Fillmore | ||
| Warren G. Harding | ||
| William Henry Harrison | ||
| Franklin Pierce | ||
| James Buchanan |
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President | Times Chosen Least Polarizing | Avg Least Polarizing Rank↑ |
|---|---|---|
| George Washington | 125 | 1.5 |
| Abraham Lincoln | 60 | 1.8 |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | 91 | 2.7 |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | 28 | 2.9 |
| James Monroe | 27 | 3.1 |
| William Henry Harrison | 22 | 3.2 |
| Gerald Ford | 26 | 3.3 |
| Theodore Roosevelt | 24 | 3.4 |
| Harry S. Truman | 45 | 3.5 |
| John F. Kennedy | 28 | 3.6 |
| Jimmy Carter | 19 | 3.6 |
| Thomas Jefferson | ||
| Barack Obama | ||
| Lyndon B. Johnson | ||
| James Madison | ||
| Bill Clinton | ||
| John Adams | ||
| Joe Biden | ||
| Woodrow Wilson | ||
| Ronald Reagan | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| George H.W. Bush | ||
| John Quincy Adams | ||
| Andrew Jackson | ||
| William Howard Taft | ||
| William McKinley | ||
| James K. Polk | ||
| Grover Cleveland | ||
| Martin Van Buren | ||
| Rutherford B. Hayes | ||
| James A. Garfield | ||
| Benjamin Harrison | ||
| George W. Bush | ||
| Chester A. Arthur | ||
| Calvin Coolidge | ||
| Richard Nixon | ||
| Herbert Hoover | ||
| John Tyler | ||
| Zachary Taylor | ||
| Millard Fillmore | ||
| Warren G. Harding | ||
| Franklin Pierce | ||
| Andrew Johnson | ||
| James Buchanan | ||
| Donald Trump |
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President | Times Chosen Most Underrated | Avg Most Underrated Rank↑ |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Carter | 64 | 2.2 |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | 43 | 2.3 |
| Ulysses S. Grant | 56 | 2.4 |
| Harry S. Truman | 34 | 2.7 |
| Gerald Ford | 21 | 2.7 |
| Barack Obama | 20 | 2.8 |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | 45 | 2.8 |
| Richard Nixon | 19 | 2.8 |
| Joe Biden | 42 | 2.9 |
| George H.W. Bush | 47 | 2.9 |
| John Adams | 24 | 3.1 |
| William Howard Taft | 19 | 3.4 |
| John Quincy Adams | 21 | 3.5 |
| James K. Polk | 24 | 3.7 |
| Abraham Lincoln | ||
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | ||
| George Washington | ||
| Theodore Roosevelt | ||
| Thomas Jefferson | ||
| John F. Kennedy | ||
| James Madison | ||
| Bill Clinton | ||
| Woodrow Wilson | ||
| Ronald Reagan | ||
| James Monroe | ||
| Andrew Jackson | ||
| William McKinley | ||
| Grover Cleveland | ||
| Martin Van Buren | ||
| Rutherford B. Hayes | ||
| James A. Garfield | ||
| Benjamin Harrison | ||
| George W. Bush | ||
| Chester A. Arthur | ||
| Calvin Coolidge | ||
| Herbert Hoover | ||
| John Tyler | ||
| Zachary Taylor | ||
| Millard Fillmore | ||
| Warren G. Harding | ||
| William Henry Harrison | ||
| Franklin Pierce | ||
| Andrew Johnson | ||
| James Buchanan | ||
| Donald Trump |
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President | Times Chosen Most Overrated | Avg Most Overrated Rank↑ |
|---|---|---|
| George Washington | 20 | 1.8 |
| Ronald Reagan | 83 | 2.1 |
| Andrew Jackson | 70 | 2.3 |
| John F. Kennedy | 84 | 2.4 |
| Thomas Jefferson | 40 | 2.5 |
| Donald Trump | 27 | 2.7 |
| Woodrow Wilson | 60 | 2.9 |
| Theodore Roosevelt | 37 | 3.3 |
| Barack Obama | 27 | 3.3 |
| Abraham Lincoln | ||
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | ||
| Harry S. Truman | ||
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | ||
| Lyndon B. Johnson | ||
| James Madison | ||
| Bill Clinton | ||
| John Adams | ||
| Joe Biden | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| James Monroe | ||
| George H.W. Bush | ||
| John Quincy Adams | ||
| Jimmy Carter | ||
| William Howard Taft | ||
| William McKinley | ||
| James K. Polk | ||
| Grover Cleveland | ||
| Gerald Ford | ||
| Martin Van Buren | ||
| Rutherford B. Hayes | ||
| James A. Garfield | ||
| Benjamin Harrison | ||
| George W. Bush | ||
| Chester A. Arthur | ||
| Calvin Coolidge | ||
| Richard Nixon | ||
| Herbert Hoover | ||
| John Tyler | ||
| Zachary Taylor | ||
| Millard Fillmore | ||
| Warren G. Harding | ||
| William Henry Harrison | ||
| Franklin Pierce | ||
| Andrew Johnson | ||
| James Buchanan |
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- The Presidential Greatness Project is a joint project of Professors Brandon Rottinghaus (University of Houston) and Justin Vaughn (Coastal Carolina University).
- The 2024 update of the PGP surveyed a pool of possible respondents that included current and recent members of the Presidents & Executive Politics Section of the American Political Science Association, the foremost organization of social science experts in presidential politics, as well as scholars who had recently published peer-reviewed academic research in key related scholarly journals or academic presses. 525 respondents were invited to participate, and 154 usable responses were received.
- Respondents rated each president using a 100-point scale in which 0=failure, 50=average, and 100=great.
- The scores were then averaged together and ranked in order from highest/best score to lowest/worst score.
- Higher scores in the PGP are preferable.
