Poll Trends: Public Support for Congress

Abstract

Recent scandals in Congress have once again focused the public's attention on the operation of the legislative branch of government. Public attitudes toward institutions of democratic governance are important predictors of their health and vigor. If the institutions are evaluated positively by the public, then the democracy is said to be stable (Lipset and Schneider 1983). This is particularly true of public attitudes toward Congress, which was designed to be the people's branch, especially the House of Representatives. Public attitudes toward Congress have not been constant. Longand short-term forces have combined to raise or lower the institution's standing in the public eye. A long-term factor that hurts Congress is its inefficiency. Congress was not designed to act quickly; instead, it acts in a slow and seemingly confusing fashion. Power is fragmented in Congress. Such a process is often perceived to be sluggish and exceedingly contentious. The House and Senate blame each other, and members of both houses blame the rules, procedures, and committees for their inaction or incomplete action. Therefore, public support for the way Congress handles its job never reaches great heights, although it went as high as 56 percent in June of 1987 according to an ABC/ Washington Post poll. But most of the time, support for Congress hovers in the 27-35 percent approval range (see fig. 1). Short-term factors also affect the public's evaluation of Congress. Scandals that involve the day-to-day operation of the Congress or that include large numbers of members tarnish the standing of the institution (Garment 1991). Extensive, unfavorable publicity about the conduct of members may lead the public to hold Congress as a whole in