On Tuesday, January 20th, Americans will witness history with the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. How will this event compare with other inaugurations over the past 40 years? Nielsen has compiled data about inaugural viewership since 1969.
Key findings are:
- Ronald Reagan’s 1981 inauguration drew the most viewers – almost 42 million.
- First time inaugurations of two-term presidents drew higher ratings than their second (exception: Nixon in 1973).
- The least watched inauguration since 1969: George W. Bush in 2005, with 15.5 million.
Click this link for complete inauguration ratings 1969-2005
| PRESIDENT | DATE | Viewers P2+ |
|---|---|---|
| G.W.Bush | 1/20/2005 | 15,536,652 |
| G.W.Bush | 1/20/2001 | 29,008,200 |
| Clinton | 1/20/1997 | 21,583,000 |
| Clinton | 1/20/1993 | 29,721,041 |
| G.H.Bush | 1/20/1989 | 23,316,325 |
| Reagan | 1/20/1985 | 25,053,886 |
| Reagan | 1/20/1981 | 41,800,260 |
| Carter | 1/20/1977 | 34,127,090 |
| Nixon | 1/20/1973 | 32,950,900 |
| Nixon | 1/20/1969 | 27,007,700 |
| Source: © 2009 The Nielsen Company |
