With the opening of the 111th Congress this week, 62% of voters say it is likely the legislature will address serious issues facing America over the next year, the highest level found since tracking began in November 2006.

Just 35% say Congress is unlikely to address big issues this year, despite the nation's economic problems, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

The number of voters who believe Congress will tackle serious issues is up from 57% at the end of December. At that time, 39% disagreed.

Nearly half of U.S. voters (48%) think politics in Washington, D.C., will be more cooperative in the next year, too.

Only 11% of voters give Congress good or excellent ratings, while 54% say the legislature is doing a poor job. Though low, the latest numbers are a slight improvement from December, when just nine percent (9%) gave Congress good or excellent ratings.

Additionally, just 11% say Congress has passed any legislation to improve life in the United States recently, down from 13% last month. Most (59%) take the opposite view. However, another 30% are undecided at this point.

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The number of voters who believe members of Congress are corrupt also has increased. While 36% of voters say most members of Congress are corrupt, 41% disagree. Last month, those numbers were 34% and 39% respectively.

Democrats have different opinions than Republicans and unaffiliated voters when it comes to what Congress will accomplish in the year ahead. Democrats will have larger majorities in both the House and Senate, and most Democratic voters (84%) say Congress will address serious issues, compared to just 39% of Republicans and 57% of unaffiliated voters. Most Republican voters (58%) say the legislature will not address those problems, compared to just 14% of Democrats and 39% of unaffiliated voters.

One-in-five Democrats (20%) give Congress good or excellent ratings, as do just six percent (6%) of Republicans and five percent (5%) of unaffiliated voters. Seventy percent (70%) of Republicans and 68% of unaffiliated voters give Congress poor ratings, compared to just 32% of Democrats.

Fourteen percent (14%) of voters also believe members of Congress are more interested in helping people, while 74% say they are more interested in furthering their own political careers. Those numbers have remained fairly consistent over the past few months.

Full-month results from December found that the number of people who classify themselves as Democrats increased for the third straight month.

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