Fifteen percent (15%) of voters believe that Congress is doing an excellent (2%) or a good (13%) job. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 49% say the nation’s legislature is doing a poor job. In between are 34% who say that Congress is doing a fair job.

These figures are down a couple of points from last month and virtually identical to the perceptions of Congress on Election Day 2006.

After the Democrats won control of both the House and Senate, perceptions of the Republican controlled Congress drifted even lower. By December, just 11% gave the legislature good or excellent marks.

Approval of Congress bumped up a bit in January when Nancy Pelosi became the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House and Harry Reid took over as Senate Majority Leader. Perceptions of Congress continued to improve until they peaked at 26% good or excellent in May. June brought about the immigration debate in which the Senate attempted to push through a bill strongly opposed by voters. During June, ratings for Congress tumbled and they have remained low ever since (see history).

Just 6% of voters believe that Congress is Very Likely to seriously address the problems facing the nation in the coming year. Thirty-one percent (31%) say the legislators are Somewhat Likely to address these issues. Fifty-nine percent (59%) say that Congress is Not Very Likely (40%) or Not At All Likely (19%) to address these important problems.

A related survey found that just 21% of voters now believe the United States is heading in the right direction.

The change in Congressional control also had an impact on partisan identification among voters. Democrats gained ground throughout 2006 as they built momentum leading to victory on Election Day. By December, 38% of Americans considered themselves Democrats while only 31% aligned with the GOP. That was the biggest advantage for Democrats since Rasmussen Reports began reporting these figures monthly in January 2004. Once Democrats gained control of Congress, the Democratic tide ebbed a bit, but they still retain a five point net advantage over the GOP.

By contrast, the latest survey also finds that 38% currently have a positive view of the Supreme Court, rating its performance as either excellent (10%) or good (28%). Thirty-nine percent (39%) say the Justices are doing a Fair job while 21% say poor.

Only 11% of all likely voters believe Congress has passed legislation over the past year that will markedly improve American life. That’s down four points from a month ago and down six points from Election Day in 2006. It’s also the lowest level recorded by Rasmussen Reports in this monthly tracking poll.

Seventy-two percent (72%) of Likely Voters believe that members of Congress are primarily interested in their own careers. Just 11% believe the legislators are primarily interested in helping the people they represent.

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