How is the United States presidential approval rating measured?

The United States presidential approval rating is like a report card that tells people how much they like the president.

Approval rating means how many people say they approve (like) the president's job, compared to those who disapprove (don’t like it). To find this out, pollsters, people who ask questions, talk to lots of people all over the country. They might call them on the phone or meet them in person.

Pollsters usually ask a simple question: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way [President's Name] is handling his job?" People can answer approve, disapprove, or say they’re not sure. The pollsters then count how many people chose each option and turn it into a percentage.

Imagine you're picking teams for a game, and the kids in your class vote on who should be captain. If most of the kids pick one person, that person is probably going to be a good team leader. The approval rating works the same way, it helps people know if they think the president is doing a good job or not.

Sometimes polls happen every month, like checking how tall a plant is growing, you can see if it's getting taller over time!