Congressional approval hits another all-time low
As Congress heads toward another possible stalemate over extending the payroll tax cut, a new Gallup poll shows that congress' approval rating is at a new all-time low of 10 percent.
According to the poll, 86 percent of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing. That figure ties the all-time high in congressional disapproval set in December, according to Gallup.
The survey, conducted between Feb. 2-5, reflects a growing sense of dissatisfaction with an often deadlocked Congress. In 2011, the average congressional approval rating in Gallup polling was 17 percent -- the lowest yearly average the polling company has ever recorded. And it got worse as the year went on: Starting in May, the figure trended downward, hitting the previous low of 11 percent in December 2011.
Last year, the highest congressional approval rating recorded was 24 percent.
The current dissatisfaction with Congress is bipartisan: Only 11 percent of Democrats and 12 percent of Republicans approved of the job Congress was doing in the new Gallup poll. Among independents, Congressional approval was just 8 percent.
President Obama, meanwhile, saw a slight uptick in the Gallup poll: The new survey showed him at 50 percent approval.
