U.S. Congress Matches Record Low Approval Rating

Posted September 16th, 2011 at 4:02 pm (UTC-5)
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A new poll shows the approval rating for the U.S. Congress has fallen back to the historic low that they hit in October 2008.

A survey of nearly 1500 people taken by CBS News and the New York Times shows only 12 percent of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing.

When asked if “most” members of Congress had done a good enough job to get re-elected, only six percent said yes; 84 percent said it is time to elect someone else.

Voters usually rank their own representative more highly than Congress at large. So when asked if their own members of Congress deserve re-election, only 33 percent said yes. But, 53 percent said it is time to elect someone else.

In 2008, Americans were faced with a serious economic downturn and upcoming congressional elections. Now, the Times reports that in follow-up interviews, respondents say they are disillusioned with members of Congress because of their partisanship and refusal to compromise.

The poll was a random sample taken nationwide between September 10 and 15.