According to a recent Gallup poll, Americans’ approval of Congress remains significantly low, currently at 13 percent, a two-point drop since 2015.
“In the U.S., 13% approve of the job Congress is doing, in line with approval ratings ranging from 11% to 16% since August," Gallup reports. "The current rating is just four percentage points above the record low of 9% recorded in November 2013.
“Approval of Congress has not generally been high, averaging 32% since Gallup began measuring it in 1974. Americans' views of the country's legislative body reached a high of 84% after the 9/11 rally that saw record highs on many Gallup measures of confidence in government, but generally waned over the course of President George W. Bush's administration. Though congressional approval received a temporary boost at the beginning of President Barack Obama's administration, it plummeted and hit a record low of 9% in November 2013 in the aftermath of the federal government shutdown.
“Congressional approval has reached 20% or higher only three times since 2012: in February of last year, shortly after Republicans took control of the Senate; at the time of the 2014 midterm elections; and just before the 2012 presidential election.”
Approval of Congress registers low across the political spectrum. Currently, only 16 percent of Democrats, 13 percent of Republicans, and 10 percent of Independents approve of the job Congress is doing.
Americans’ frustration with Congress has been a recurring topic of conversation throughout the 2016 election cycle. GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have benefitted from that frustration among voters who favor them as political outsiders in comparison to their respective rivals.