Just 15% of American voters say that Congress is doing a good or an excellent job. A recent Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 46% now give Congress a poor rating. Bleak as those figures are, they reflect a modest improvement from a month ago when just 13% were willing to give the legislators good or excellent marks for their efforts.

Voters had low expectations for Congress when it came to work this year and expressed only lukewarm support for the economic stimulus package. In fact, consumer confidence fell to new lows immediately after the House and Senate gave final approval to that stimulus plan.

The current ratings for Congress are now the same as they were on Election Day 2006. At the time the Democrats won control of the legislature, 15% said Congress was doing a good or an excellent job. Between Election Day and the end of the year, while Republicans were still in control, perceptions of Congress declined even further. Public perceptions of the legislature rebounded after the Democrats grabbed the baton in early 2007 and then began to slump again in early summer as the nation watched congressional leaders try to impose an unpopular immigration bill.

Not surprisingly, Republican voters are much more critical of Congress than Democrats. Among GOP voters, just 11% say Congress is doing a good or excellent job. With their team in control, Democrats are evenly divided—30% say the Honorables are doing a good or an excellent job while 26% say poor.

Only 11% of voters believe Congress has passed legislation during the past year to improve life in America. The majority (62%) disagree. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters also do not think it is likely that Congress will seriously address important problems this year. Thirty-nine percent (39%) are more optimistic and believe it is at least somewhat likely that Congress will try to face the issues.

A separate survey in January found that voters are split as to whether Congress will take steps to help or hurt the economy in 2008.

Voters are a bit more positive about the job done by the Supreme Court. Thirty-six percent (36%) give the Supreme Court a good or excellent rating, while 20% give it a poor rating. The plurality of voters (40%) say the Supreme Court is doing a fair job.

Crosstabs available for Premium Members only.