Just 11% of American voters give the outgoing Congress good or excellent marks. That’s down from 13% two weeks ago and 15% on Election Day.

The latest Rasmussen Reports tracking survey finds that 38% say Congress has done a “fair” job while 47% give it a poor rating.

Voter dissatisfaction with Congress comes through loud and clear in this survey. Just 14% say that Congress has passed legislation that improved the quality of American life, down from 17% on Election Day. Sixty-one percent (61%) say Congress hasn’t done a thing to improve the lives of most Americans.

Looking ahead, 45% say it is at least somewhat likely that Congress will act seriously to address important problems in the coming year. A slightly larger number, 51%, say serious Congressional action is not likely.

An overwhelming majority (74%) believes that most members of Congress are more interested in advancing their own careers than helping people (13%). Earlier in 2005, a Rasmussen Reports survey found that Americans were more likely to trust a used-car salesman than a Member of Congress.

The federal government faces a number of challenging issues in the coming year. Most Americans support the Iraq Study Group’s recommendation for removing almost all combat troops from Iraq by early 2008. However, most are skeptical that the recommendation will be implemented.

Most Americans also believe that Social Security needs to be fixed.

When it comes to immigration, Americans place a higher priority on controlling the border rather than legalizing the status of undocumented workers already in the country.

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