Nearly half of U.S. voters (48%) now think politics in Washington, D.C., will be more cooperative in the next year, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Thirty-four percent (34%) believe politics in the Nation’s Capital will be more partisan, and 17% are not sure.

Unaffiliated voters are closely divided on the question, but Republicans and Democrats are, well, more predictably partisan.

Seventy-two percent (72%) of Democratic voters expect D.C. politics to be more cooperative during Barack Obama’s first year as president. But 59% of Republicans, also faced with larger Democratic majorities in both the House and Senate, believe things will be more partisan.

Still, the mood has improved dramatically over the past two months. In a survey right after Election Day, voters overall were evenly divided over whether politics in Washington would be more cooperative or more partisan.

At that time, 75% of GOP voters expected politics to be more partisan, as did unaffiliated voters by 13 points. The Democratic numbers were the same. The intervening weeks have done very little for the Democrats’ top leaders in Congress, though.

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Thirty-three percent (33%) of voters now have a favorable view of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, including seven percent (7%) who say Very Favorable. The Nevada senator is viewed unfavorably by 45%, including 28% whose view is Very Unfavorable.

Twenty-two percent (22%) don’t know enough about Reid to have an opinion of him, compared to 27% in early November.

At that time, 28% had a favorable opinion of Reid and 42% viewed him unfavorably. The percentage of those with Very Favorable and Very Unfavorable views are basically unchanged.

Even 30% of Democrats didn’t know enough about Reid to have an opinion in the earlier survey, compared to 23% of Republicans and 29% of unaffiliated voters. Now just 26% of Democrats say that of their Senate leader, along with 21% of unaffiliateds and 19% of GOP voters.

Thirty-eight percent (38%) of voters have a favorable view of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now, roughly the same as two months ago. The number of those who regard her very favorably, however, has dropped from 14% to eight percent (8%) in that time.

Pelosi is seen unfavorably by 53% of voters, including 38% whose opinion of her is Very Unfavorable. These numbers also are the same as in November. Nine percent (9%) are not sure what they think of Pelosi, compared to seven percent (7%) in the earlier survey.

But the two Democrats are clearly better known to voters than GOP congressional leaders. The Republicans’ Senate leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, has 28% favorables, with just four percent (4%) Very Favorable, and 35% unfavorables, including 11% Very Unfavorable. Thirty-seven percent (37%) are not sure what they think of McConnell.

House Minority Leader John Boehner is viewed favorably by 26%, with four percent (4%) Very Favorable. The Ohio Republican is regarded unfavorably by 32%, with 11% Very Unfavorable. Forty-two percent (42%) have no opinion of Boehner.

Rasmussen Reports will release new findings on voters’ views of Congress later today.

Fifty-three percent (53%) of female voters now expect politics in Washington to be more cooperative, compared to 43% of male voters. Younger voters are slightly more optimistic than older voters.

Nearly two-thirds of African-American voters (64%) believe there will be more cooperation versus 47% of whites.

Fifty-six percent (56%) of Evangelical Christians say D.C. politics will be more partisan in the next year, while half of other Protestants (50%) and Catholics (49%) anticipate more cooperation.

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