Gallup: Congressional Approval Up; Partisan Gap Widens

image
Alex GauthierAlex Gauthier
Published: 08 Feb, 2017
1 min read

Americans' approval of Congress is at its highest level since 2009, according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday. Nearly 28 percent of respondents said they approved of "the way Congress is handling its job."

Although the overall trend line might appear to suggest that the partisan divide is healing, a closer look at the survey suggests otherwise.

The survey recorded a 9-point jump in overall congressional approval, up from 19 percent last month. The bump follows a similar trend that accompanied President Obama's inauguration in February 2009 when congressional approval reached 39 percent.

What's easy to miss, however, is where the surge in approval comes from -- a widening partisan divide. The survey found a significant gap in congressional approval by party affiliation and signals that attitudes are more polarized than before.

In 2009, 19 percent of Republican respondents said they approved of the job Congress was doing compared to 43 percent of Democrats. That dynamic has flipped and the gap has increased to 50 percent of Republican respondents approving of Congress contrasted with just 11 percent of Democrats.

Another trend emerges when examining independent voters' attitudes on Congress. For independents, the February bump isn't as pronounced in either 2009 or 2017: jumping 8 and 12 percent, respectively, but remained under 30 percent regardless of the party in power.

Frank Newport from Gallup suggests:

"The key to the future may be the developing relationship between Congress and Trump. It is not clear whether GOP leaders in Congress will support all of Trump's initiatives, including repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, nor is it clear how fast Congress will act on Trump's promises that require new legislation."

Whether or not such a relationship will materialize remains to be seen. But Republicans' optimism may soon return to frustration as congressional gridlock is likely to return and haunt the 115th Congress.

IVP Donate

Image: Orhan Cam / Shutterstock.com

You Might Also Like

fl-let-us-vote
Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Opening Florida’s Primaries to 3.4M Independent Voters
A new statewide poll finds near-unanimous agreement among both Democratic and independent voters that Florida’s primaries should be opened to the state’s 3.4 million “No Party Affiliation” (NPA) voters who are currently shut out of taxpayer-funded elections....
10 Oct, 2025
-
3 min read
broken california map
EXCLUSIVE: California Commissioner Says Lawmakers Gutted Their Funding BEFORE Prop 50
The fate of California’s independently drawn congressional districts will be decided on November 4, when voters weigh in on a legislative gerrymander and the suspension of congressional maps from the state's independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) under Proposition 50....
08 Oct, 2025
-
8 min read
Proposition 50 voter guide
California Prop 50: Partisan Power Play or Necessary Counterpunch?
November 4 marks a special election for what has become the most controversial ballot measure in California in recent memory: Proposition 50, which would circumvent congressional districts drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission for a legislative-drawn map....
01 Oct, 2025
-
9 min read