National Affairs: Starting Point

In the first Gallup poll of President Kennedy’s popularity—the one that all future polls will presumably be measured against—69% approved, 8% disapproved, and 23% said they had no opinion about his actions and appointments in the period between his election and his inauguration. Eight years ago, Dwight Eisenhower’s popularity, as registered at the same time and by the same standard, stood at 78% approval and only 4% disapproval; Ike left office with a still-remarkable 59% approval.