Twenty-six percent (26%) of American voters believe that Congress is doing a good or an excellent job. That’s a six point improvement over the past month and reflects that most positive rating for the legislative body in 2007. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 30% give Congress a “fair” rating while 43% say poor. A separate survey found that Democrats have an 11-point advantage on the Generic Congressional Ballot.

The last rating for the outgoing Republican Congress found that just 11% gave the GOP-controlled chamber a good or excellent rating. The first survey after the Democrats took control found 16% giving Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid’s team good or excellent marks (see history).

Among Democratic voters, 35% say Congress is doing a good or an excellent job. Thirty-nine percent (39%) say fair and 25% give their team a poor rating. Republicans, not surprisingly, have a less generous assessment—61% of GOP voters say Congress is doing a poor job.

Overall, just 10% of Americans say it’s Very Likely that Congress will seriously address the important issues facing the nation this year. Another 34% say it is Somewhat Likely that Congress will do so. Most (54%) say Congress is Not Very Likely or Not at All Likely to address the important issues before us. Those figures have changed little since Election 2006.

Seventy-two percent (72%) of American voters believe that Members of Congress are primarily interested in their own careers. Just 15% believe the legislators are primarily interested in helping people. Those figures have changed little over the past seven months.

The Supreme Court does a bit better than Congress—42% say the Justices are doing a good or an excellent job. Thirty-seven percent (37%) say fair and 20% poor. The Court gets good or excellent ratings from 49% of Republicans, 39% of Democrats, and 35% of those not affiliated with either major party.

President Bush’s Job Approval is measured on a daily basis and is currently at the lowest levels of his Administration.

Rasmussen Reports regularly tracks public attitudes towards Congress, the War on Terror, and other topics. Rasmussen Reports also continuously updates favorability ratings and general election match-ups for all Democratic and Republican Presidential candidates along with ratings for Members of Congress, Other Political Figures, and Journalists.

Rasmussen Reports also conducts ongoing surveys measuring the attitudes of Americans on the news of the day including gun control, partial-birth abortion, and Iraq. The latest updates can be found on the Rasmussen Reports home page.

Rasmussen Reports releases updated polling data on the Democrat Nomination Process every Monday and on the Republican contest every Tuesday. Results for the Generic Congressional Ballot are updated monthly.

Crosstabs and Historical data available for Premium Members only.