After a tumultuous first year in office, fewer Americans view President Trump favorably. According to surveys conducted over the last year, the number of Americans who held a favorable opinion of the president declined (43 percent to 37 percent), while those who held an unfavorable opinion of him increased (52 percent to 59 percent).
However, the decline in public favorability of Trump was not universal. The views of white evangelical Protestants have remained consistently positive toward Trump over the past year. Most recently, more than two-thirds (68 percent) report having a favorable view of him, while only 29 percent have an unfavorable view. But although white evangelicals are far more likely to view Trump favorably than unfavorably, their opinions have become more polarized. More white evangelical Protestants have a very favorable (32 percent) and a very unfavorable (17 percent) opinion of the president today than a year ago (25 percent and 10 percent, respectively).
In contrast, Trump’s standing among white mainline Protestants has dropped precipitously. A majority (57 percent) of white mainline Protestants viewed Trump favorably in the beginning of 2017, while only 41 percent view him positively today.