More than a month into the 114th Congress, 20 percent of Americans say they approve of how the legislative body is handling its job — up slightly from the 16 percent final approval rating of the last Congress, Gallup said.
The slight uptick lags behind recent jumps in approval when one party has taken control; 33 percent approved of Congress in January 1995 after the GOP takeover, a 10-point bump. And 35 percent approved in January 2007 after Democrats took back control — a 14-point uptick.
“This could be partly because the 2014 elections saw a less dramatic change in control of Congress — only one chamber changed party control instead of both, as occurred after the 1994 and 2006 elections,” Gallup’s Andrew Dugan wrote. “It may also be that Americans’ widespread dissatisfaction with government is working as a counterweight on the usual increase in good feeling that occurs when there is a change in party control.”
Republicans’ approval of Congress, at 27 percent, is higher than the 17 percent approval rating in January and the 12 percent rating in December. But that partisan jump is also lower than in the past. Republicans’ approval of Congress jumped 26 points in 1995 and Democrats’ approval of Congress increased 23 points in the first 2007 survey.
“Given the raft of legislation that may be forthcoming in the following months — involving authorization of use of military force in Iraq/Syria, granting the president greater power in negotiating trade deals, as well as a potentially contentious bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security — there may be significant movement on how the public rates Congress, be it good or bad,” Mr. Dugan wrote. “But for now, even as Washington adjusts to a new political balance, most Americans seem to be taking their time in assessing the new leadership.”
The Feb. 8-11 survey of 837 adults has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.