These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
Voter approval of the job Congress is doing has fallen to a new low - for the second month in a row.
Just six percent (6%) of Likely U.S. Voters now rate Congress' performance as good or excellent, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Last month, Congressional approval ratings fell to what was then a record low with eight percent (8%) who rated its performance good or excellent.
Sixty-one percent (61%) now think the national legislators are doing a poor job, a jump of nine points from a month ago . (To see survey question wording, click here .)
Most voters don't care much for the way either party is performing in the federal debt ceiling debate. The majority of voters are worried the final deal will raise taxes too much and won't cut spending enough.
Only 11% of voters believe this Congress has passed any legislation that will significantly improve life in America. That ties the lowest ever finding in nearly five years of surveys, last reached in January 2009. Sixty-nine percent (69%) think Congress has not passed any legislation of this caliber, a six-point increase from June and the most negative assessment ever. Nineteen percent (19%) are not sure.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 24-25, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC . See methodology .
With divided control of Congress, neither party's voters are very happy. Eight percent (8%) of GOP voters give Congress positive marks, compared to five percent (5%) of Democrats and six percent (6%) of voters not affiliated with either of the major parties.
Forty-eight percent (48%) of voters think it's more important for Congress to pass good legislation than to prevent bad legislation from becoming law. Forty percent (40%) say it's more important for the legislators to stop bad laws from being enacted. This is consistent with monthly surveys since last August.
The partisan divide on this question helps explain the ongoing legislative gridlock in Washington, D.C. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of Democrats and 56% of unaffiliated voters feel it's more important for Congress to pass good laws. Most Republicans (52%) see stopping bad legislation as the priority.
Democrats feel a bit more strongly, though, that Congress has passed significant legislation.
Voters over 40 are more critical of Congress' job performance than those who are younger. Higher-income voters express more displeasure with Congress than those who earn less.
Union members give Congress lower marks for job performance than those who are not members.
While 63% of Mainstream voters think Congress is doing a poor job, just 44% of the Political Class agree. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of the Political Class think it's more important for Congress to pass good legislation than to stop bad laws. Mainstream voters are evenly divided.
From January 2007 through December 2010, with Democrats in control of both the House and Senate, Congress earned good or excellent marks ranging from nine percent (9%) to 26%, although generally their rankings were in the low teens for most of this period. This trend continued through the early months of this year after Republicans regained control of the House, but Congress' positive ratings fell to nine percent (9%) in April and May.
Poor marks for Congress have ranged from a low of 35% in early February 2007 to a high of 71% in February of last year. Since then, until the GOP takeover of the House, those giving Congress poor grades have generally fallen in the high 50s and low 60s. This past February, however, just 42% felt that way, but Congress' negatives have risen since then.
Both major political parties are looking to next year's elections to resolve the nation's budget stalemate, and for now most voters would opt for a congressional candidate who balances spending cuts with tax hikes to lower the federal deficit over one who's totally opposed to any tax increases.
Pluralities of voters now view the congressional agendas of both parties as extreme .
Voters now see congressional Republicans as slightly more partisan than their Democratic counterparts and are more pessimistic about the overall level of partisanship in Washington, D.C. than they have been in nearly a year. But Republicans continue to lead Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot as they have every week since June 2009.
Forty-five percent (45%) of voters trust Republicans more when it comes to handling economic issues , while 35% put more trust in Democrats. Voters now trust Republicans more than Democrats on nine of 10 issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports. Two years ago Democrats were trusted more than Republicans on most issues.
While she's much less often in the news these days, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remains Congress' most disliked leader. But Pelosi earns higher favorables than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid whose popularity has fallen to its lowest level in over two years.