Gallup: Congress Approval Rating Hits Yet Another Low 10 %
Two facts about the new Gallup poll that reveals Congress’s current approval rating:
#1. It is at 10% a new low. It’s so far down in the polls that it’s too low for sniffing dogs.
#2. Neither party should be happy. The poll finds that many voters detest the job BOTH rpt B-O-T-H parties are doing.
Details:
PRINCETON, NJ — A record-low 10% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, down from 13% in January and the previous low of 11%, recorded in December 2011. Eighty-six percent disapprove of Congress, tying the record high for disapproval set in December.
The graph looks like Congress is doing a Titanic imitation:
AND:
The new-low 10% approval rating is based on a Gallup survey conducted Feb. 2-5, about two weeks after President Obama’s 2012 State of the Union address and the reconvening of the U.S. House and Senate.
Congressional approval averaged 17% for all of 2011. The highest reading last year was 24% in May. More broadly, Gallup’s highest approval rating for Congress is 84% in October 2001, a month after the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.
It is difficult to pinpoint any specific recent actions that may have led to the continuing deterioration in Congress’ image, particularly because much of the political attention in January and early February has focused on the Republican presidential race. Congress at this point is again wrangling over the extension of the payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits — both of which were temporarily extended late last year in a short-term fix that expires at the end of February. It is notable that President Obama has continued to make criticism of Congress a part of his broad presidential re-election strategy.
Congress’ current low ratings continue a generally negative trend. The 17% annual average for 2011 is by one percentage point the lowest yearly average Gallup has recorded. More broadly, the average congressional job approval rating since 1974 is 34%, signifying the generally poor esteem in which the American people have held Congress over the past decades.
Meanwhile, both parties are unloved:
Democrats’ and Republicans’ approval of Congress are equally low, at 11% and 12%, respectively, while 8% of independents approve.
Your tax dollars at work…
What does this mean in political terms?
President Barack Obama could take a calculated risk and make a good chunk of his campaign running against Congress, and try to differentiate between members of his party in his Congress (arguing they were checkmated in helping him get measures in place) and Republicans (portrayed as the obstructionists). With numbers like this its clear Obama could run a kind of Trumanesque campaign, but he’ll have to do it carefully or it could hurt the Dems, too
11 Responses to “Gallup: Congress Approval Rating Hits Yet Another Low 10 %”
Actually, I think that is saying that both Democrats and Republicans polled hold congress in disdain not that the D & R representatives are held in equal disdain.
When you break it down by party you can see that the preference for a Republican Controlled Congress has evaporated and now control of Congress by Democrats is preferred.
Here’s two recent polls from pollingreport.com
An NBC News / Wall Street Journal Poll shows that in the last six months it’s gone from a dead heat to a 6 point edge for the Democrats.
And in this UT / National Journal Poll it’s swung 9 point in the last three months. (Democrats picked up 5 points / Republicans dropped 4 )
Edit to add: Since I converted the polls to a text format a few days ago pollingreport.com has added a new Reuters/Ipsos Poll that shows only a 2 point lead by the Democrats.
I should have looked before posting but the other polls still show it as a 6 point and a 9 point edge to the Democrats.
And yet people continue to reelect the same congressmen.
Oh, and congressmen aren’t concerned about this, as long as it’s some other congressman’s fault. They only want to be reelected.
It little matters what the poll numbers indicate when the candidates that are able to show up on the ballot are all beholden to one benefactor (or twenty).
When the number of people that vote reaches 25% of possible voters, we can shut the whole thing down and either turn it all over to the Corporatocracy or start from scratch. We were already 39th in voter turnout, behind Eastonia, Bulgaria and Romania, in 1995 at 68% and I don’t doubt we’ve declined since then.
Of course we could be like Australia which has compulsory voting and beats all countries with 95% voter turnout.
exactly… it is never my Rep that is the problem. Lets keep reelecting that guy!
The poll numbers for Congress merely reinforces the need for the voters to have an alternative to the current parties. A clean centrist third party is the answer! It’s too bad the center is so splintered at the moment and does not present a unified option for the electorate.
Sure we could use an alternative to the current parties, but also term limits so politicians are not going to Washington to increase their personal fortunes. We can also use campaign finance reform so “ordinary people” (who are the people who should run for office anyway) can best represent their communities. I know there are many people out there who are more qualified than many people in Congress, but they are discouraged from running since the cost to run is so high. Not that they don’t mind fundraising… But if they’re a Dem or Rep. running against someone in their own party, and that opponent has millions of dollars in their re-election war chest and the backing of the party, then an “ordinary” person doesn’t stand a chance of raising millions of dollars to compete with an entrenched politician.
Lets get rid of the electoral system so my vote actually counts. As it stands now, I’m in CA which has 2 things going for it:
1) All presidential votes count for Dems
2) Often its over before I get off work to vote.
YAY ELECTORAL COLLEGE SYSTEM! YOU SUCK.
P.S. – Don’t worry, I still go vote. I just think its dumb.
I like Levine’s idea. Meanwhile, I honestly believe that the American electorate has such a disdain for congress because of several factors. I also believe that the most prevalent factor is:
The American Electorate does not like the ‘checks and balances’ system set up by the Constitution. They would like to have the SCOTUS continue (more or less as is), but they want a more parliamentary type system. The only check they want on congress is the president.
What I mean by this is that they really hate that one part of congress can have the MINORITY block any and all legislation. I know that I have come to hate that, and I suspect that I’m not the only one.
The disdain for congress also probably relates (in great part) to the question being congress–as opposed to ‘your senators’ or ‘your representative’. If polls were conducted honestly, they would not ask about esoteric entities that do not really exist properly in the responders’ minds.
Stop the silly ‘approval of Congress’ polls and start asking ‘approval of Senator Xyz or Representative Abc’.
I hears talks have stalled on the negotiations to lower the credibility ceiling…it may force a national shutdown of congressional confidence polling.