Barely one in 10 Americans approve of how Congress is handling its job, according to a Gallup poll released today. Just 13% of those surveyed said they approved of the current Congress, the lowest approval rating Gallup has ever recorded. Additionally, 83% percent of those surveyed assessed Congress negatively, also a Gallup poll record.
Gallup has been tracking Congressional approval ratings since 1974. The previous record low of 14% came in July 2008, with the economy floundering and gas prices at a record high of over $4 per gallon.
The results come amid a struggling economy hobbled by a 9.8% national unemployment rate, and as the lame duck Congress wrangles over several widely popular yet unresolved measures.
Congress is still deciding what to do with the Bush tax cuts, which are set to expire for all Americans at the end of the year. And last week, Senate Republicans blocked the advancement of a possible repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Polls have consistently found that a majority of Americans support repeal of the military ban on gays, including roughly 80% of those surveyed in a Washington Post-ABC News poll out this morning.
In a sense, the poll results are not too surprising.
Americans have given Congress low marks all year in the Gallup poll, beginning in January with a yearly high approval rating of 24%. In six of the twelve monthly polls, Congress scored below 20%. That high dissatisfaction fueld a revolt against incumbents in the midterm elections, with Democrats ultimately losing 63 seats in the House.
Interestingly, while Congress’ approval has sunk to a record low, Americans view of President Obama remains steady. Forty-six percent of Americans approved of the way Obama is handling his job, according to Gallup’s daily presidential tracking poll released yesterday, versus 45% who disapproved.
That may explain why, in a Washington Post-ABC News poll out yesterday, Americans said they trusted President Obama more than Congressional Republicans to cope with the nation’s problems. Despite the midterm “shellacking” Obama’s party took, 43% of respondents said they trusted him to successfully guide the country, versus 38% who said they trusted Republicans more.
The Gallup Congressional approval poll was conducted December 10-12 among over 1,000 adults nationwide. It has a margin of error of 4.0%.
