U.S.Congress approval rating at 36 percent (conducted before Katrina)

[sabra]

http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=113853&cat=World

U.S.Congress approval rating at 36 percent:-

The U.S. Congress, returning to Washington this week after its summer recess, has a disapproval rate of 58 percent, a Gallup Poll released Tuesday says.

A Gallup Tuesday Briefing reported 36 percent of those polled approve of the way Congress is handling its job but 58 percent disapprove.

Congress' approval rating hasn't been above 38 percent since February, the first time since 1997 the nation's legislative body approval rating, tracked monthly, has spent so many consecutive months less than 40 percent.

The data show a strong partisan divide in opinion of the Republican-controlled Congress. A total of 57 percent of self-described Republicans polled approved of the job Congress is doing, compared to 29 percent of independents and 22 percent of Democrats.

[barbaraann]

1. However, that does not translate into individual ratings (Senate)

http://www.surveyusa.com/100USSenatorApprovalRatings061305.htm

I think the same thing is true for the House. I think Congress's ratings could be at 5% and individual members would still mostly be above 50%.

[Lexingtonian]

3. that's a bit pessimistic

For one thing, the overall approval rating does strike at the majority party directly in open seats and incumbents running at under 50%.

As for the dichotomy of loving your rep and hating the body overall, that's been the view of the electorate about Congress from the beginning.

If you read the various pollings, the 'approval' rating is always that of the people percieved to run the entity. I.o.w., despite the poll saying 'Congress' the pollees do respond as if the question were asked about 'the officials who run Congress'. It's a polling of Republican control and behavior.

The polls that ask 'who do you want running Congress now' tend to get 38% for Democrats, 35% for Republicans.

In the very best year that Republicans have had recently, 2002, the election day split was 40% for Republicans, 36% for Democrats.

When Congress/Republican support gets to the 29-32% range, then a Democratic Congress is essentially inevitable.

[acmavm]

2. Hmmm. That's certainly higher than I would have thought.

.