Americans' ratings of Congress have dropped an average of eight
percentage points in the past two months and are lower now than at
any other point since spring 2000. Congressional ratings have
declined among almost every demographic subgroup, with the most
notable changes occurring among lower-income Americans and highly
educated people. These changes come at a time when Congress has
been busy debating Social Security reform, finalizing next year's
budget, and passing controversial legislation regarding the Terri
Schiavo case.
At the beginning of 2005, congressional approval ratings were in
the low- to mid-40% range. Ratings have declined in the past two
months, and now fewer than 4 in 10 Americans (38%) say they approve
of Congress.
Aggregated Gallup Poll data* collected over these past four
months allow for an analysis of where the drop from
January-February to March-April has occurred. The analysis shows
that the decline in support is rather general, as most demographic
subgroups tend to show a drop and these are all about the same
magnitude. However, departures from this general pattern are
evident in household income and education groups.
Household Income
Congressional approval ratings declined most dramatically among
Americans living in lower-income households. Congressional ratings
among Americans with household incomes of less than $30,000 a year
dropped 12 percentage points between the first two months of the
year and the subsequent two months. Meanwhile, ratings decreased
only six points among Americans in households with incomes between
$30,000 to $74,999, and showed no change at all among those living
in households with total earnings of $75,000 or more.
Early in the year, ratings of Congress were similar among people
at all income levels; now they are much lower among those in
households earning less than $30,000 per year.
Education
Congressional approval ratings actually improved in recent
months among Americans with postgraduate educations, while ratings
fell by roughly equal proportions among college graduates, those
with some college education, and those with a high school education
or less. Earlier in the year, postgraduates rated Congress much
more negatively than people with lower levels of education; now,
approval ratings of Congress are roughly the same among respondents
of all educational backgrounds.
Political Viewpoints
Approval of Congress declined about equally among Republicans
(eight points) and Democrats (seven points), while independents
showed essentially no change. Republicans continue to rate the
GOP-controlled Congress much more positively than Democrats do.
Likewise, self-described ideological conservatives continue to
view Congress more positively than moderates or liberals do.
Approval of Congress among moderates has dropped eight points, from
41% to 33%, in the past few months. Ratings fell by slightly
smaller amounts among conservatives (from 56% to 52%) and liberals
(from 28% to 22%).
Gender, Age, and Race
Ratings of Congress have dropped more or less uniformly among
gender, age, and racial groups.
Bottom Line
Congress definitely took a public relations hit with its
unpopular action in the Schiavo case -- more than 7 in 10 Americans
said they disapproved of its involvement. Negative economic
perceptions, as currently exist, also tend to take a toll on
Americans' evaluations of the national legislature. Congress'
ratings in recent years have broken some uncharted positive
territory, but in recent years, and recent months, the arrow is
pointing downward.
*Results are based on telephone interviews with 2,013
national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Jan. 3-5, 2005, and
Feb. 7-10, 2005. For results based on this sample, one can say with
95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is ±2
percentage points.
Results are based on telephone interviews with 2,014
national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted March 7-10, 2005 and
April 4-7, 2005. For results based on this sample, one can say with
95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is ±2
percentage points.
Margins of sampling error for subgroups will be higher than
those for the entire samples.
