Editing Nancy Reagan (section)

== Historical assessments ==
Since 1982, [[Siena College Research Institute]] has conducted occasional surveys asking historians to assess American first ladies according to a cumulative score on the independent criteria of their background, value to the country, [[intelligence]], [[courage]], accomplishments, [[integrity]], [[leadership]], being their own women, public image, and value to the president.<ref name="Siena2014">{{cite web |title=Eleanor Roosevelt Retains Top Spot as America's Best First Lady Michelle Obama Enters Study as 5th, Hillary Clinton Drops to 6th Clinton Seen First Lady Most as Presidential Material; Laura Bush, Pat Nixon, Mamie Eisenhower, Bess Truman Could Have Done More in Office Eleanor & FDR Top Power Couple; Mary Drags Lincolns Down in the Ratings |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/FirstLadies2014Release_Final.pdf |website=scri.siena.edu |publisher=Siena Research Institute |access-date=May 16, 2022 |date=February 15, 2014 |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327181939/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/FirstLadies2014Release_Final.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In terms of cumulative assessment Reagan has been ranked:
* 39th-best of 42 in 1982<ref name="2008Siena">{{cite web |title=Ranking America's First Ladies Eleanor Roosevelt Still #1 Abigail Adams Regains 2nd Place Hillary moves from 5 th to 4 th; Jackie Kennedy from 4th to 3rd Mary Todd Lincoln Remains in 36th |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/FL_2008Release.pdf |publisher=Siena Research Institute |access-date=May 16, 2022 |date=December 18, 2008 |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222164606/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/FL_2008Release.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 36th-best of 37 in 1993<ref name="2008Siena"/>
* 28th-best of 38 in 2003<ref name="2008Siena"/>
* 15th-best of 38 in 2008<ref name="2008Siena"/>
* 15th-best of 39 in 2014<ref name="Siena2014"/>
* 15th-best of 40 in 2020<ref name="Siena2020results">{{cite web |title=Copy of FirstLadies_Full Rankings_working_dl_2.xls |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/First-Ladies-Full-Rankings-2020.pdf |website=scri.siena.edu |publisher=Siena Research Institute |access-date=March 11, 2025 |date=2020}}</ref>

In the 1993 Sienna Research Institute survey, the first conducted after Reagan left the White House, Reagan was assessed very poorly by historians, ranking the second-worst, with only [[Mary Todd Lincoln]] being given a worse assessment.<ref name="2008Siena"/> Reagan was ranked the lowest in half of the criteria (background, value to the country, intelligence, courage, and integrity).<ref>{{cite web |title=Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton Top First Lady Poll |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Press-Release-1.10.94.pdf |website=scri.siena.edu |publisher=Sienna College |access-date=October 23, 2022 |date=January 10, 1994 |archive-date=November 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108043708/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Press-Release-1.10.94.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Regard for Reagan improved in the following three iterations of the survey.<ref name="2008Siena"/> In the three most recent iterations of the survey (conducted in 2008, 2014, and 2020), Reagan has been ranked as the 15th-best first leady.  she has been ranked<ref name="2008Siena"/><ref name="Siena2020results"/> In the 2008 Siena Research Institute survey, Reagan was ranked the 4th-highest in value to the president, but was ranked the lowest in integrity.<ref name="2008Siena"/> In the 2003 survey, Reagan ranked the 5th-highest in value to the president.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ranking America's First Ladies Eleanor Roosevelt Still #1 Abigail Adams Regains 2nd Place Hillary moves from 2nd to 5th; Jackie Kennedy from 7th to 4th Mary Todd Lincoln Up From Usual Last Place |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ranking20americas20first20ladies.pdf |website=scri.siena.edu |publisher=Sienna College Research Center |access-date=October 23, 2022 |date=September 29, 2003 |archive-date=December 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208161720/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ranking20americas20first20ladies.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 2014 survey, Reagan and her husband were ranked the 16th-highest out of 39 first couples in terms of being a "power couple".<ref>{{cite web |title=2014 Power Couple Score |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Appendix_C_Power_Couples.pdf |website=scri.siena.edu/ |publisher=Siena Research Institute/C-SPAN Study of the First Ladies of the United States |access-date=October 9, 2022 |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327132048/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Appendix_C_Power_Couples.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 2014 survey, historians ranked Reagan among 20th and 21st century American first ladies as being the 5th greatest in terms of being a "political asset" and 5th greatest in terms of being a strong public communicator.<ref name="Siena2014"/>

Reagan and her husband have each posthumously experienced continued criticism for having, during their time in the White House, spent years publicly ignoring the [[HIV/AIDS]] epidemic, which [[Ronald Reagan and AIDS|began during her husband's presidency]]. The epidemic had initially predominantly impacted the male [[homosexual]] community. Reagan's great extended public silence on this matter has been contrasted with her coinciding vocalness against drug use. Reagan's extended failure to give significant public acknowledgement of this epidemic has been seen as one of the greatest detractions in her retrospective public regard.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zak |first1=Dan |title=On drugs, Nancy Reagan just said no. On AIDS, she said nothing. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/on-drugs-nancy-reagan-just-said-no-on-aids-she-said-nothing/2016/03/11/3f9d59e8-e483-11e5-a6f3-21ccdbc5f74e_story.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=October 9, 2022 |date=March 13, 2016 |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810183555/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/on-drugs-nancy-reagan-just-said-no-on-aids-she-said-nothing/2016/03/11/3f9d59e8-e483-11e5-a6f3-21ccdbc5f74e_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=L. La Ganga |first1=Maria |title=The first lady who looked away: Nancy and the Reagans' troubling Aids legacy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/11/nancy-ronald-reagan-aids-crisis-first-lady-legacy |website=The Guardian |access-date=October 9, 2022 |language=en |date=March 11, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Davis |first1=Wynne |title=Here's why the new Nancy Reagan stamp prompted backlash from the LGBTQ+ community |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/06/09/1103575533/nancy-reagan-stamp-hiv-aids-pride-backlash-lgbtq |website=NPR |access-date=October 9, 2022 |language=en |date=June 9, 2022 |archive-date=June 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609133451/https://www.npr.org/2022/06/09/1103575533/nancy-reagan-stamp-hiv-aids-pride-backlash-lgbtq |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Mosendz |first1=Polly |title=Former First Lady Nancy Reagan Watched Thousands of LGBTQ People Die of AIDS |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/nancy-reagan-death-hiv-aids-legacy |website=Teen Vogue |access-date=October 9, 2022 |date=March 9, 2016 |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009202328/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/nancy-reagan-death-hiv-aids-legacy |url-status=live }}</ref> However, there has been reporting to suggest that, privately, Reagan did unsuccessfully urge her husband's administration to address the epidemic.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tumulty |first1=Karen |title=Nancy Reagan's Real Role in the AIDS Crisis |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/04/full-story-nancy-reagan-and-aids-crisis/618552/ |website=The Atlantic |access-date=October 9, 2022 |language=en |date=April 12, 2021 |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009202323/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/04/full-story-nancy-reagan-and-aids-crisis/618552/ |url-status=live }}</ref>