Twenty-three percent (23%) of likely voters now say Congress is doing a good or excellent job, representing the legislature's highest rating since May 2007.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% of voters give Congress a poor rating.

Last year ended with positive ratings for Congress in the single-digits. Just a few days before the legislature reconvened in January, 11% gave it good or excellent ratings. Over the next few months the Congressional ratings began to improve, with 18% giving Congress positive ratings in April.

For much of the past year, a majority said that Congress was doing a poor job. In January, 54% held that view. However, over the last four months, that number has stayed below the 50% mark.

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For the second straight month, only 5% of Republican voters say Congress is doing a good or excellent job. Forty-five percent (45%) of Democrats do the same, up from 33% a month ago. Only 13% of voters not affiliated with either party give the legislature positive ratings, showing no change from April.

A third of voters (33%) say most members of Congress are corrupt, up slightly from 30% last month. Thirty-eight percent (38%) disagree.

Most voters (52%) say it is at least somewhat likely Congress will address serious issues facing the nation over the next year, down from 54% in April and 58% in March.

Half of all voters (50%) say the legislature has not passed anything to significantly improve life in America recently, while 23% say it has. Those numbers are similar to those found last month.

As has been the case in several years of polling, the majority of voters (70%) believe members of Congress are more interested in furthering their own political careers than helping people. Just 16% take the opposite view. While 64% of those in the political class say Congress members are more interested in helping fellow Americans, just 8% of those in the mainstream agree. Eighty-three percent (83%) of mainstream voters say most members are more interested in helping their own careers.

Polling this week finds that 37% of voters believe the U.S. is heading in the right direction. Democrats now hold a three-point lead over Republicans in the Generic Congressional Ballot.

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