Congressional Performance

58% Say Congress Doing A Poor Job

Monday, January 04, 2010

Voters feel more strongly than ever that Congress is performing poorly and that most of its members are in it for themselves.

Fifty-eight percent (58%) of U.S. voters now say Congress is doing a poor job. That’s the highest negative finding since Rasmussen Reports began surveying on the question in November 2006.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 12% of voters believe Congress is doing a good or excellent job, the lowest total since the first of February last year.

Forty-three percent (43%) of all voters say most members of Congress are corrupt, the highest level of belief since we began asking this question in June 2008. By comparison, just 32% say most congressmen are not corrupt, but that’s the lowest level of confidence in over 20 months. Twenty-five percent (25%) remain undecided.

Another new low is the number who say most members of Congress are more interested in their own careers than in helping other people.

Only nine percent (9%) say the average congressman wants to help people more, down from 14% a month ago and the first time in over three years of surveying that the response to that question has been in single digits. Seventy-nine percent (79%) say most members of Congress put their own careers first.

That’s the highest number recorded on that question since we began asking it in November 2006.

These findings take on added significance since the economy barely beat out government ethics and corruption as the issue of number one importance to most voters in December.

Male voters are much more critical of Congress than female voters. Those 40 and older are more likely to have a negative view of Congress’ performance than younger voters.

Not surprisingly, with Democrats having majority control of both the House and Senate, only 32% of Democrats think Congress is doing a poor job, compared to 79% of Republicans and 68% of voters not affiliated with either major party. Still, only 23% of Democratic voters rate Congress’ performance as god or excellent.

Congress passed a number of major economic initiatives last year including a $787-billion economic stimulus plan and bailouts for two big automakers and the financial industry. But only 20% of voters say Congress passed anything that will significantly improve life in America. Sixty-one percent (61%) disagree and say Congress did not pass anything of significance.

However, 38% say it is at least somewhat likely that Congress will seriously address the most important problems facing our nation, but of that group, only 12% say it is very likely. Fifty-six percent (56%) say Congress is unlikely to seriously address important problems, including 38% who say it’s not very likely and 18% who think it’s not at all likely.

Democrats are far more likely than GOP and unaffiliated voters to believe Congress is likely to seriously address important issues.

But then Democratic voters rate health care reform as President Obama’s highest budget priority, while Republicans and unaffiliateds say it’s more important for the president to cut the federal deficit in half by the end of his first term.

Democrats in Congress continue to push health care reform legislation, even though most voters have opposed it for months.

Voters have consistently opposed the bailouts proposed of General Motors and Chrysler and of the financial industry.

A plurality (38%) of voters nationwide for the first time say the stimulus plan has hurt the economy. Fifty-one percent (51%) of voters say more jobs would be created if the remaining spending planned in the stimulus plan was cancelled right away.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to be the best-known and least-liked member of the congressional leadership, although Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s championing of the health reform bill has caused his unfavorables to go up.

When Obama was inaugurated last January, Democrats had a seven-point lead on the Generic Congressional Ballot. Republicans now have a five-point advantage.

Voters feel far more strongly than they have in over two years that legislation currently being debated in Congress will have a significant impact on their lives, and they’re well aware of which party is in charge.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... erformance