Congressional Performance

Most Voters have a low opinion of Congress in general and aren’t too happy with their own representatives in particular.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 15% of Likely U.S. voters rate Congress’ performance as good or excellent, down from 20% in January. Fifty-nine percent (59%) think Congress is doing a poor job, up from 52% in January. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Only 30% believe their representative in Congress is the best possible person for the job, while 50% say their representative is not the best possible person for the job, and 20% are not sure.

Thirty-six percent (36%) of voters say that, regardless of how Congress is doing overall, their local representative in Congress deserves to be reelected. Forty-four percent (44%) say their representative doesn’t deserve reelection. Twenty-one percent (21%) are not sure.

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The survey of 1,100 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on March 26-28, 2024 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Independent voters have more negative views of Congress than either Democrats or Republicans. For example, while 38% of Democrats and 31% of Republicans believe their representative in Congress is the best possible person for the job, that belief is shared by just 21% of voters not affiliated with either major party.

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of unaffiliated voters rate Congress as doing a poor job, as do 58% of Republicans and 55% of Democrats.

Forty-two percent (39%) of Democrats, 43% of Republicans and 50% of unaffiliated voters say their representative doesn’t deserve reelection.

Older voters have a much more negative view of Congress. Twenty-nine percent (29%) of voters under 40 rate Congress as doing a good or excellent job, compared to just 12% of those ages 40-64 and only four percent (4%) of voters 65 and older.

Sixty-four percent (64%) of whites, 38% of black voters and 57% of other minorities give Congress a poor rating.

More men (18%) than women voters (12%) rate the job performance of Congress as good or excellent.

Forty-four percent (44%) of self-identified liberal voters say that, regardless of how Congress is doing overall, their local representative in Congress deserves to be reelected, compared to 32% of moderates and 34% of conservatives who say the same. Liberal voters are also more likely to say that their representative in Congress is the best possible person for the job.

Breaking down the electorate by income categories, 35% of voters in the highest bracket – earning more than $200,000 a year – the job performance of Congress as good or excellent, but just 13% of those with annual incomes between $30,000 and $50,000 agree.

President Joe Biden’s strongest supporters are most pleased with their own congressional representatives. Among voters who Strongly Approve of Biden’s job performance as president, 50% say that, regardless of how Congress is doing overall, their local representative in Congress deserves to be reelected. By contrast, among those who disapprove of Biden’s performance, just 27% think their own representative deserves reelection.

President Biden continues to trail former President Donald Trump in their election rematch, regardless of which third-party candidates are included on the ballot.

More than a quarter of American voters say they might vote for a third-party presidential candidate this year, and young voters are especially open to the idea.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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The survey of 1,100 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on March 26-28, 2024 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research.