President Obama is leaving office with a muddled public standing. On one hand, he’s personally popular and has a job approval rating above 50 percent. On the other, the Republican victories of 2016 can be seen, in part, as a repudiation of his policies. The graphic above shows how public opinion on various issues — and on Obama’s performance itself — changed during his presidency. Select a topic to see the trend over the past eight years.

A more progressive nation

100% 90% 80% Same-sex marriage should be legal Abortion should be entirely or mostly legal 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% Marijuana should be legal Oppose the death penalty for convicted murderers 20% 10% 0% 2009 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 100% 90% Same-sex marriage should be legal 80% Abortion should be entirely or mostly legal 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% Marijuana should be legal 20% Oppose the death penalty for convicted murderers 10% 0% ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16

At the beginning of Obama’s first term, Massachusetts and Connecticut were the only states with legal gay marriage. But after a series of judicial and legislative victories for gay marriage advocates — culminating in the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision in 2015 — same-sex couples can now legally get married anywhere in the country. Public acceptance of same-sex marriage followed a similar trajectory, as did approval of marijuana legalization. And while Obama’s presidency included few policy gains for abortion advocates or death penalty opponents, public opinion did become more liberal on those issues over the last eight years.

Growing dissatisfaction with foreign policy

100% 90% Approve of Obama’s handling of terrorism 80% 70% Approve of Obama’s handling of Iraq 60% 50% 40% Approve of Obama’s handling of Aghanistan 30% Approve of Obama’s foreign policy 20% 10% 0% 2009 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 100% 90% Approve of Obama’s handling of terrorism 80% 70% Approve of Obama’s handling of Iraq 60% 50% 40% Approve of Obama’s handling of Aghanistan 30% Approve of Obama’s foreign policy 20% 10% 0% ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16

Obama inherited two wars from his predecessor: one in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. While 2011 brought major achievements for both campaigns — Osama Bin Laden was assassinated in May of that year and the drawdown of troops in Iraq was completed in December -- thousands of U.S. soldiers remain in Afghanistan today, and Iraq has been struggling since the emergence of the Islamic State there in 2014. The public’s approval of how Obama is handling these conflicts has ebbed and flowed, but it’s currently lower than at any other time in Obama’s tenure. He also saw declining marks for his handling of terrorism, and overall approval of his foreign policy has fallen as well.

What didn’t change

100% 90% 80% Believe that controlling gun ownership is more important than protecting individual rights 70% Approve of Obama’s health care plan 60% 50% 40% 30% Favor a larger government that provides more services 20% 10% 0% 2009 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 100% 90% Believe that controlling gun ownership is more important than protecting individual rights 80% 70% Approve of Obama’s health care plan 60% 50% 40% 30% Favor a larger government that provides more services 20% 10% 0% ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16

Opinion on some of the most contentious political issues of Obama’s presidency changed very little during his time in office. The share of Americans who support the Affordable Care Act — perhaps Obama’s biggest policy achievement — has remained more or less flat since the health care legislation became an issue. Despite the rise of the tea party, the share of Americans who favor a large government that offers many services (over a smaller government providing fewer services) didn’t change much, nor did public opinion on gun ownership.