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Two-Thirds in U.S. Disappointed with Congress
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many Americans continue to provide a negative appraisal of their federal lawmakers, according to a review of four recent public opinion polls. In a survey by Ipsos-Public Affairs released by the Associated Press, 26 per cent of respondents approve of the way Congress is handling its job.
The approval rating for Congress stands at 23 per cent in a study by Gallup released by USA Today, 22 per cent in a poll by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News, and 18 per cent in a survey by Hart/McInturff released by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News.
American voters renewed the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate in November 2006. In January 2007, the Democratic Party took control of the lower house for the first time since 1994, with 233 lawmakers. A victory for the Democratic candidates for the Senate in Montana and Virginia also gave the party a majority in the upper house. Democratic California congresswoman Nancy Pelosi became the first female speaker of the House.
On Jan. 31, Pelosi criticized U.S. president George W. Bush’s health care policies, saying, "The president is proposing to once again slash health care coverage for seniors and low-income working Americans. The president’s cuts are exactly the wrong medicine when the cost of health care and the number of uninsured continue to rise and families are feeling economically insecure. The administration’s proposed cuts in Medicare and Medicaid, even larger than last year’s, are particularly unjustified when the largest subsidies in the Medicare program—payment to Medicare Advantage plans—are left untouched."
American voters will elect a new president, and renew the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate on Nov. 4.
Polling Data
a) Overall, do you approve, disapprove or have mixed feelings about the way Congress is handling its job?
|
Jan. 2008 |
Dec. 2007 |
Nov. 2007 |
Oct. 2007 |
|
|
Approve |
26% |
25% |
25% |
22% |
|
Disapprove |
69% |
70% |
70% |
73% |
|
Mixed feelings |
3% |
4% |
4% |
4% |
Source: Ipsos-Public Affairs / Associated Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,027 American adults, conducted from Jan. 7 to Jan. 9, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
b) Do you approve or disapprove of how Congress is handling its job?
|
Jan. 2008 |
Dec. 2007 |
Nov. 2007 |
Oct. 2007 |
|
|
Approve |
23% |
22% |
20% |
23% |
|
Disapprove |
71% |
70% |
69% |
71% |
Source: Gallup / USA Today
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,023 American adults, conducted from Jan. 4 to Jan. 6, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
c) Do you approve or disapprove of the job Congress is doing?
|
Jan. 2008 |
Dec. 2008 |
Nov. 2007 |
Sept. 2007 |
|
|
Approve |
22% |
25% |
26% |
24% |
|
Disapprove |
66% |
60% |
61% |
54% |
Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 registered American voters, conducted on Jan. 30 and Jan. 31, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
d) In general, do you approve or disapprove of the job that Congress is doing?
|
|
Jan. 2008 |
Dec. 2008 |
Nov. 2007 |
Sept. 2007 |
|
Approve |
18% |
18% |
19% |
23% |
|
Disapprove |
70% |
70% |
68% |
65% |
Source: Hart/McInturff / The Wall Street Journal / NBC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,008 American adults, conducted from Jan. 20 to Jan. 22, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.