Congress and the Public

Topics A to Z

Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job?

	Approve	Disapprove	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008
2008 Apr 6-9	20	71	9
2008 Mar 6-9	21	71	8
2008 Feb 11-14	24	70	6
2008 Jan 4-6	23	71	6
2007
2007 Dec 6-9	22	70	8
2007 Nov 11-14	20	69	11
2007 Oct 12-14	29	64	6
2007 Oct 4-7	23	71	6
2007 Sep 14-16	24	71	5
2007 Aug 13-16	18	76	6
2007 Jul 12-15	27	66	7
2007 Jun 11-14	24	71	5
2007 May 10-13	29	64	7
2007 Apr 2-5	33	60	7
2007 Mar 11-14	28	64	8
2007 Feb 1-4	37	55	8
2007 Jan 15-18	35	56	9
2006
2006 Dec 11-14	21	74	5
2006 Nov 9-12	26	67	7
2006 Nov 2-5	26	63	11
2006 Oct 20-22	26	67	6
2006 Oct 9-12	23	71	6
2006 Oct 6-8	24	68	7
2006 Sep 7-10	29	63	8
2006 Aug 7-10	27	65	8
2006 Jul 6-9	29	61	10
2006 Jun 1-4	27	63	10
2006 May 8-11	21	71	8
2006 Apr 10-13	23	70	7
2006 Mar 13-16	27	65	8
2006 Feb 6-9	25	65	10
2006 Jan 9-12	27	67	7
2005
2005 Dec 5-8	29	63	8
2005 Nov 7-10	29	63	8
2005 Oct 13-16	29	64	7
2005 Sep 12-15	35	59	6
2005 Aug 8-11	36	58	6
2005 Jul 7-10	36	58	6
2005 Jun 6-8	34	59	7
2005 May 2-5	35	57	8
2005 Apr 4-7	38	54	8
2005 Mar 7-10	37	53	10
2005 Feb 7-10	45	48	7
2005 Jan 3-5	43	48	9
2004
2004 Dec 5-8	41	50	9
2004 Nov 7-10	41	52	7
2004 Oct 11-14	40	51	9
2004 Sep 13-15	41	52	7
2004 Aug 9-11	40	52	8
2004 Jul 8-11	40	53	7
2004 Jun 3-6	41	52	7
2004 May 2-4	41	52	7
2004 Apr 5-8	43	51	6
2004 Mar 8-11	42	51	7
2004 Feb 9-12	41	51	8
2004 Jan 12-15	48	45	7
2003
2003 Dec 11-14	43	50	7
2003 Nov 3-5	43	51	6
2003 Oct 6-8	41	51	8
2003 Sep 8-10	40	53	7
2003 Aug 4-6	45	46	9
2003 Jul 7-9	49	45	6
2003 Jun 12-15	50	41	9
2003 May 5-7	49	44	7
2003 Apr 7-9	58	33	9
2003 Mar 3-5	48	44	8
2003 Feb 3-6	50	39	11
2003 Jan 13-16	49	40	11
2002
2002 Dec 5-8	50	40	10
2002 Nov 11-14	47	39	14
2002 Oct 3-6	50	40	10
2002 Sep 5-8	52	40	8
2002 Aug 5-8	46	43	11
2002 Jul 26-28	53	36	11
2002 Jul 9-11	54	36	10
2002 Jun 3-6	52	38	10
2002 May 6-9	57	33	10
2002 Apr 8-11	57	34	9
2002 Mar 4-7	63	28	9
2002 Feb 4-6	62	28	10
2002 Jan 7-9	62	29	9
2001
2001 Dec 6-9	72	19	9
2001 Nov 8-11	73	19	8
2001 Oct 11-14	84	10	6
2001 Sep 7-10	42	44	14
2001 Aug 16-19	50	37	13
2001 Aug 3-5	47	42	11
2001 Jul 19-22	49	37	14
2001 Jun 11-17	51	34	15
2001 May 10-14	49	34	17
2001 Apr 6-8	55	32	13
2001 Mar 5-7	55	28	17
2001 Feb 1-4	53	32	15
2001 Jan 10-14	50	40	10
2000
2000 Dec 2-4	56	34	10
2000 Oct 6-9	49	42	9
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	48	42	10
2000 May 18-21	39	52	9
2000 Jan 7-10	51	42	7
1999
1999 Sep 23-26	37	56	7
1999 Jul 13-14	39	51	10
1999 Jun 11-13	41	53	6
1999 Apr 13-14	45	47	8
1999 Feb 12-13	41	54	5
1999 Jan 15-17	50	46	4
1998
1998 Dec 15-16	42	52	6
1998 Nov 13-15	41	54	5
1998 Oct 29-Nov 1	44	47	9
1998 Oct 9-12	47	46	7
1998 Oct 6-7	44	48	8
1998 Sep 11-12	55	36	9
1998 May 8-10	44	48	8
1998 Apr 17-19	49	40	11
1998 Feb 13-15	57	33	10
1998 Jan 30-Feb 1	56	35	9
1998 Jan 16-18	42	47	11
1997
1997 Dec 18-21	39	52	9
1997 Oct 27-29	36	53	11
1997 Aug 22-25	41	48	11
1997 Jul 25-27	34	57	9
1997 May 6-7	32	58	10
1997 Apr 18-20	30	59	11
1997 Feb 24-26	37	48	15
1997 Jan 31-Feb 2	36	51	13
1996
1997 Jan 10-13	41	49	10
1996 Oct 26-29	34	51	15
1996 Aug 5-7	39	49	12
1996 May 9-12	30	65	5
1996 Apr 9-10	35	57	8
1995
1995 Sep 22-24	30	61	9
1995 Aug 28-30	30	60	10
1995 Jul 7-9	35	55	10
1995 May 11-14	34	57	9
1995 Apr 17-19	37	54	9
1995 Mar 27-29	31	61	8
1995 Mar 17-19	32	59	9
1995 Feb 24-26	35	53	12
1995 Feb 3-5	38	53	9
1995 Jan 16-18	33	52	15
1994
1994 Dec 28-30	23	66	11
1994 Oct 22-25	23	70	7
1994 Oct 7-9	21	73	6
1994 Jul 15-17	27	65	8
1994 Mar 25-27	29	63	8
1994 Feb 26-28	28	66	6
1993
1993 Nov 2-4	24	69	8
1993 Aug 8-10	23	69	8
1993 Jul 19-21	24	65	11
1993 Feb 26-28	27	54	19
1992
1992 Mar 3 ^	18	78	3
1991
1991 Oct 10-13	40	54	6
1991 Jul 25-28	32	53	15
1990
1990 Nov 2-4	26	63	11
1990 Oct 25-28	24	68	8
1990 Oct 18-21	23	64	13
1990 Oct 11-14	28	65	7
1988
1988 Sep 9-11	42	42	16
1987
1987 Aug 24-Sep 2	42	49	9
1986
1986 Apr 11-14	42	37	21
1983
1983 Apr 29-May 2	33	43	24
1982
1982 Jun 11-14	29	54	17
1981
1981 Jun 19-22	38	40	22
1980
1980 Jun 13-16	25	56	19
1979
1979 Jun 1-4	19	61	20
1978
1978 Sep 8-11	29	49	22
1977
1977 Sep 9-12	35	44	21
1977 Aug 5-8	36	44	20
1977 Jun 3-6	34	42	24
1977 May 20-23	40	40	20
1977 Mar 25-28	36	42	22
1976
1976 Jan 23-26	24	58	18
1975
1975 Oct 31-Nov 3	28	54	18
1975 Jun 27-30	29	54	17
1975 Apr 18-21	38	48	14
1975 Feb 28-Mar 3	32	50	18
1974
1974 Oct 11-14	35	43	22
1974 Aug 16-19	30	47	23
1974 Apr 12-15	30	47	23

Do you approve or disapprove of the way [ROTATED] are handling their job?

The Republicans in Congress

	Approve	Disapprove	No opinion
	%	%	%
2007 Dec 14-16	26	68	5
2007 Aug 3-5	29	64	7
2007 Feb 9-11	33	59	8
2006 Jun 23-25	33	60	7
2005 Oct 21-23	38	58	4
2005 Apr 29-May 1	42	50	8
2003 Nov 14-16	48	49	3
2003 Oct 10-12	51	44	5
2002 Apr 5-7	59	30	11
2001 Aug 3-5	49	40	11
2001 Jun 8-10	49	43	8
2000 Aug 18-19	45	44	11
2000 Jul 25-26	46	39	15
2000 Apr 28-30	42	46	12
1999 Nov 4-7	38	53	9
1999 Oct 8-10	37	55	8
1999 Aug 16-18	36	53	11
1999 Jun 25-27	40	53	7

The Democrats in Congress

	Approve	Disapprove	No opinion
	%	%	%
2007 Dec 14-16	30	64	5
2007 Aug 3-5	37	55	7
2007 Feb 9-11	41	50	9
2006 Jun 23-25	38	55	8
2005 Oct 21-23	41	53	6
2005 Apr 29-May 1	40	52	8
2003 Nov 14-16	47	50	3
2003 Oct 10-12	45	48	7
2002 Apr 5-7	57	32	11
2001 Aug 3-5	52	38	10
2001 Jun 8-10	54	37	9
2000 Aug 18-19	56	34	10
2000 Jul 25-26	51	36	13
2000 Apr 28-30	46	42	12
1999 Nov 4-7	49	42	9
1999 Oct 8-10	48	44	8
1999 Aug 16-18	48	41	11
1999 Jun 25-27	46	46	8

Overall, how much do you think Congress has accomplished this year --a great deal, a good amount, not too much, or nothing at all?

	Great deal	Good amount	Not too much	Nothing at all	No opinion
2007 Oct 12-14	4%	19	55	21	1

(Asked of those who say Congress has not accomplished very much or nothing at all this year) Do you think this is mostly the fault of -- [ROTATED: the Democrats in Congress, the Republicans in Congress] -- or do you think both are equally at fault?

	Democrats	Republicans	Both equally	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
2007 Oct 12-14	12%	13	73	1	1
(vol.) = Volunteered response

Do you think the policies being proposed by -- [ROTATED: the Republican leaders in the U.S. House and Senate/the Democratic leaders in the U.S. House and Senate] -- would move the country in the right direction or in the wrong direction?

A. The Republican leaders in the U.S. House and Senate

	Right direction	Wrong direction	No opinion
	%	%	%
2007 Jan 5-7 ^	35	54	11
2006 Jan 6-8	40	50	10
2005 Feb 4-6	50	36	14
2001 Aug 24-26	49	38	13
1999 Oct 8-10	54	35	11
1998 Nov 13-15	43	40	17
1998 Oct 23-25	47	33	20
1998 Jul 7-8	43	28	29
1997 Dec 18-21	44	36	20
1997 Apr 18-20	46	39	15
1996 Apr 9-10	45	41	14
1995 Dec 15-18	44	44	12
1995 Nov 6-8	44	41	15
1995 Sep 22-24	41	44	15
1995 Mar 27-29	53	37	10
1995 Feb 24-26	52	33	15
1994 Nov 28-29	55	27	18

^ Asked of a half sample
1994-1999: Asked as a stand-alone question

B. The Democratic leaders in the U.S. House and Senate

	Right direction	Wrong direction	No opinion
	%	%	%
2007 Jan 5-7 ^	59	27	14
2006 Jan 6-8	44	43	14
2005 Feb 4-6	41	43	16
2002 Nov 8-10	47	36	17
2001 Aug 24-26	51	36	13

^ Asked of a half sample

Who do you want to have more influence over the direction the nation takes in the next year -- [ROTATED: George W. Bush (or) The Democrats in Congress]?

	Bush	Democrats in Congress	Both/ Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2007 Jan 5-7 ^	32	63	4	2
2006 Nov 9-12	31	61	6	2
2002 Jan 11-14 ^	59	36	2	3
2001 Jul 10-11	50	38	9	3
2001 Jun 8-10	48	41	6	5
2001 Feb 9-11	48	41	8	3

(vol.) = Volunteered response
^ Asked of a half sample

Do you think the country would be better off if the Republicans controlled Congress, if the Democrats controlled Congress, or would the country be the same regardless of which party controlled Congress?

	Republicans	Democrats	Same regardless	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2006 Jun 23-25	18	32	48	3
2004 Mar 5-7	25	31	39	5
2002 Nov 8-10	28	22	47	3
2002 Oct 31-Nov 3	25	27	42	6
1998 Oct 23-25	24	22	48	6

As you may know, there have been a series of corruption scandals involving government officials in Washington this past year. Do you think corruption in Washington -- [ROTATED: mostly involves Republicans, involves both parties about equally, or do you think it mostly involves Democrats]?

ASKED OF A HALF SAMPLE

	Mostly Republicans	Both parties equally	Mostly Democrats	No opinion
2006 May 5-7	15%	76	5	4

Do you think the Republicans in Congress or the Democrats in Congress would do a better job of dealing with the issue of corruption in government?

ASKED OF A HALF SAMPLE

	Republicans	Democrats	No difference (vol.)	No opinion
2006 May 5-7 ^	29%	41	22	8
2006 Jan 20-22	31%	40	19	10
2006 Jan 6-8	32%	44	19	6
2005 Oct 21-23 †	33%	44	18	5

(vol.) = Volunteered response
^ Asked of a half sample
† Asked in a rotation with other issues

Do you think corruption in Congress is -- a very serious problem, somewhat serious, not too serious, or not a serious problem at all?

ASKED OF A HALF SAMPLE

	Very serious	Somewhat serious	Not too serious	Not a serious problem at all	No opinion
2006 Apr 28-30	39%	44	15	2	1

Do you think the issue of corruption in Congress should be -- the top priority for Congress to deal with, a high priority, but not the top priority, an important priority, but not a high priority, or should it not be an important priority?

ASKED OF A HALF SAMPLE

	Top priority	High priority	Important, not high priority	Not an important priority	No opinion
2006 Apr 28-30	15%	49	31	4	2

How much confidence do you have in Congress to make sure that its members adhere to high ethical standards -- a great deal, a fair amount, not much, or none at all?

ASKED OF A HALF SAMPLE

	Great deal	Fair amount	Not much	None at all	No opinion
2006 Apr 28-30	6%	35	42	17	*
* Less than 0.5%

How much confidence do you have in Congress to pass meaningful legislation to deal with the issue of corruption in Congress -- a great deal, a fair amount, not much, or none at all?

ASKED OF A HALF SAMPLE

	Great deal	Fair amount	Not much	None at all	No opinion
2006 Apr 28-30	4	28	44	24	*
* Less than 0.5%

As you may know, some members of Congress travel on fact-finding missions paid for by corporations, trade groups, or other private interests. Some members of Congress also receive meals or gifts from these organizations. In your view, what should Congress do to make sure that such favors do not lead to corruption in government -- [ROTATED: institute a ban on members receiving any gifts, meals or travel from private interests, (or should it) allow members to receive gifts, meals or travel, but require full public disclosure of these]?

	Institute a ban	Require full public disclosure	No opinion
2006 Apr 28-30	52	47	1

As you may know, members of Congress sometimes insert provisions, known as "earmarks," into bills that direct federal spending to projects in their home states or districts. What should Congress do about the practice of earmarking -- should it [ROTATED: significantly restrict the ability of members to place earmarks in bills, allow members to place earmarks in bills as they do now, but require full disclosure of it,] or not change the rules on earmarking?

	Significantly restrict	Allow, require full disclosure	Not change rules	No opinion
2006 Apr 28-30	41%	41	11	7

How confident are you that Congress can effectively enforce ethical standards on its own members -- very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not confident at all?

	Very confident	Somewhat confident	Not too confident	Not confident at all	No opinion
2006 Feb 28-Mar 1	5%	34	33	26	2

Do you think the country would be better off if the Republicans controlled Congress, or if the Democrats controlled Congress?

	Republicans	Democrats	Neither (vol.)	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2005 Nov 11-13	34	46	12	2	6
2005 Oct 13-16	32	45	12	4	7
2005 May 20-22	36	47	9	2	6
2004 Oct 22-24 ^	41	45	4	3	7
2004 Mar 26-28	39	41	7	4	9
2002 Jul 29-31	38	39	9	5	9
2002 Jul 5-8	40	39	11	3	7
2002 Jan 11-14	44	43	3	3	7
2001 Oct 5-6	38	37	11	7	7
2001 Aug 3-5	34	43	10	6	7
2001 Apr 20-22	41	43	6	3	7
2001 Jan 5-7	39	41	7	5	8
1999 Jul 16-18	37	42	12	2	7
1999 Jun 25-27	41	41	11	2	5
1999 May 23-24	36	37	14	4	9
1998 Dec 15-16	30	41	13	5	11
1998 Sep 23-24	35	41	11	3	10
1997 Aug 22-25	37	40	11	4	8
1997 Jul 25-27	37	39	11	5	8
1997 Jun 26-29	34	40	12	4	10
1996 Oct 26-29 ^^	39	42	7	2	10
1995 Dec 15-18	41	41	8	2	8
1995 Mar 27-29	45	33	10	4	8
1994 Oct 18-19	42	39	10	2	7

(vol.) = Volunteered response
^ Asked of a half sample
^^ Based on likely voters

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