---
title: "Republicans Sour on Ben Bernanke"
description: "Survey Report As Ben Bernanke prepares to step down as chairman of the Federal Reserve in January, the public views him somewhat more favorably (38%) than unfavorably (31%), with 32% unable to offer a rating. Bernanke is better known now than he was in March 2008, when 55% could not rate him; at that time, […]"
date: "2013-09-18"
authors:
  - name: "Pew Research Center"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2013/09/18/republicans-sour-on-ben-bernanke/"
categories:
  - "Economic Conditions"
  - "Economic Policy"
  - "Federal Government"
datasets:
  - name: "September 2013 Political Survey"
    url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/dataset/september-2013-political-survey/"
---

# Republicans Sour on Ben Bernanke

## Table of Contents
1. [Republicans Sour on Ben Bernanke](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2013/09/18/republicans-sour-on-ben-bernanke/markdown)
2. [About the Survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2013/09/18/about-the-survey-171/markdown)

## Survey Report

As Ben Bernanke prepares to step down as chairman of the Federal Reserve in January, the public views him somewhat more favorably (38%) than unfavorably (31%), with 32% unable to offer a rating.

[![Public Views of Ben Bernanke](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/09/9-18-1.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2013/09/18/republicans-sour-on-ben-bernanke/9-18-1/)

Bernanke is better known now than he was in March 2008, when 55% could not rate him; at that time, 24% viewed him favorably and 21% held an unfavorable view.

The national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted Sept. 4-8 among 1,506 adults, finds that Republicans view Bernanke less favorably than they did five years ago. Currently, more Republicans have an unfavorable (42%) than favorable (32%) view of Bernanke.

[![Shifting Partisan Opinions of Departing Fed Chairman ](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/09/9-18-2.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2013/09/18/republicans-sour-on-ben-bernanke/9-18-2/)

In March 2008, three years after George W. Bush nominated him as Fed chair, Republicans viewed Bernanke favorably by three-to-one (36%-12%).

Tea Party Republicans, in particular, have a highly negative view of the outgoing Fed chair. Fully 64% of Republicans and Republican leaners who agree with the Tea Party have an unfavorable impression of Bernanke. That compares with just 32% of non-Tea Party Republicans.

By contrast, Bernanke’s image among Democrats is more positive than it was in 2008. In the current survey, Democrats view Bernanke favorably by a 42%-19% margin. Democrats had mixed views of Bernanke in 2008 (22% favorable, 25% unfavorable). Independents continue to express mixed views of the Fed chair.

[![Bernanke Popular among Those Who See Full Market Recovery](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/09/9-18-3.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2013/09/18/republicans-sour-on-ben-bernanke/9-18-3/)

Bernanke is better known – and better liked – among college graduates than those with less education. About three-quarters of college graduates (76%) are able to offer a rating of Bernanke and they view him more favorably than unfavorably by a 46%-31% margin. Among those who have not completed college, fewer have an impression of Bernanke (65%) and opinions are more mixed (35% favorable vs. 31% unfavorable).

Views of Bernanke are closely tied to impressions of the stock market recovery. Among the roughly one-in-five Americans (21%) who say the stock market has fully recovered from the recession: 55% view Bernanke favorably compared with 32% who view him unfavorably (14% have no opinion). Bernanke is not as well known, and is viewed less favorably, among those who say the market has partially recovered (53% of the public) or has hardly recovered at all (18%) from the recession. (For more, see [“Five Years after Market Crash, U.S. Economy Seen as ‘No More Secure’,”](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2013/09/12/five-years-after-market-crash-u-s-economy-seen-as-no-more-secure/) Sept. 12, 2013.)

---

**Next:** [About the Survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2013/09/18/about-the-survey-171.md)