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Congress See also: Congressional leaders

► Job ratings -- overall

Summary table | Full details

► Job ratings -- Democrats

► Job ratings -- Republicans

Congress: Misc. Questions See also: Politics | Democrats vs. Republicans

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by Hart Research Associates (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R). Jan. 13-17, 2018. N=900 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.3.
					.
"Next, I am going to read a list of institutions in American society, and I'd like you to tell me how much confidence you have in each one: a great deal, quite a bit, some, very little, or none at all. ... Congress."
					.
		A great deal	Quite a bit	Some	Very little	None at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%	%
	1/13-17/18	4	6	41	32	16	1
	12/12-15/16	6	10	43	24	15	2

Monmouth University Poll. Oct. 15-18, 2015. N=348 registered voters nationwide who are Republicans or lean Republican. Margin of error ą 5.3.
					.
"Do you think the more conservative members of the Republican Party, such as the Freedom Caucus, have too much, too little, or the right amount of power in Congress?"
					.
		Too much	Too little	Right amount	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/15-18/15	25	39	21	16
					.
"Do you think Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan would be a good choice or bad choice for speaker of the House, or do you have no opinion?"
					.
		A good choice	A bad choice	No opinion
		%	%	%
	10/15-18/15	45	13	42

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by Hart Research Associates (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R). Oct. 15-18, 2015. N=400 Republican primary voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.9.
					.
"Now, when it comes to the next speaker of the House who will replace John Boehner, do you generally want someone who is more likely to seek compromise and work to get more done, or is more likely to stand up for principles even if this means that less gets done?" Options rotated
					.
		Seek compromise	Stand up for principles	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/15-18/15	40	56	4
					.
"If Paul Ryan is elected to be the next speaker of the House to replace John Boehner, would you generally feel comfortable and positive about this, or skeptical and uncertain about this?" Options rotated
					.
		Comfortable, positive	Skeptical, uncertain	Mixed (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/15-18/15	63	28	1	8

CNN/ORC Poll. Aug. 13-16, 2015. N=1,001 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Do you think the policies being proposed by the Republican leaders in the U.S. House and Senate would move the country in the right direction or the wrong direction?"
					.
		Right direction	Wrong direction	Unsure
		%	%	%
	8/13-16/15	39	55	6
	12/18-21/14	43	49	9
	12/16-19/13	38	54	9
	9/23-25/11	40	56	4
	7/18-20/11	37	58	4
	1/21-23/11	46	50	4
	12/17-19/10	44	51	4
	12/16-20/09	42	53	5
	8/28-31/09	43	49	8
	5/14-17/09	39	53	8
	10/13-15/06	36	53	12
	8/2-3/06	43	43	15

Pew Research Center. Jan. 7-11, 2015. N=1,504 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.9.
					.
"As best you can tell, do you approve or disapprove of Republican congressional leaders' policies and plans for the future?"
					.
		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	1/7-11/15	40	49	11
	11/6-9/14	44	43	13

CNN/ORC Poll. Dec. 18-21, 2014. N=1,011 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Do you think the Republicans will do a better job running the U.S. Senate than the Democrats did, a worse job than the Democrats, or won't there be much difference?"
					.
		Better	Worse	No difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	12/18-21/14	28	24	46	1
					.
"Compared to the last Congress, do you think the new Congress will be more responsive to what the public wants, less responsive, or won't there be any difference?"
					.
		More responsive	Less responsive	No difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	12/18-21/14	30	21	48	1
	11/11-14/10	43	20	36	1
	12/15-17/06	51	11	37	2
					.
"Compared to the last Congress, do you think the new Congress will get more done, get less done, or won't there be any difference?"
					.
		Get more done	Get less done	No difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	12/18-21/14	37	15	47	1
	11/11-14/10	32	26	41	1
	12/15-17/06	46	14	39	1

CNN/ORC Poll. Nov. 21-23, 2014. N=1,045 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"As you know, in the election which was held earlier this month, the Republicans won control of the U.S. Senate and maintained control of the U.S. House of Representatives while gaining about 10 seats in the House. Do you think the Republican victories in the election are more of a mandate for Republican policies or more a rejection of Democratic policies?"
					.
		Mandate for Republicans	Rejection of Democrats	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	11/21-23/14	16	74	8	2
					.
"Do you think it will be good for the country or bad for the country that the Republican Party will be in charge of both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate?"
					.
		Good	Bad	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	ALL	44	50	3	2
	Men	48	47	3	2
	Women	41	54	3	2
	Whites	52	43	3	2
	Nonwhites	28	66	3	3
	Under age 50	39	56	3	2
	50 & older	51	43	3	2

Quinnipiac University. Nov. 18-23, 2014. N=1,623 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.4.
					.
"Do you think it is good for the country or bad for the country that the Republicans have taken over control of the United States Senate from the Democrats?"
					.
		Good	Bad	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	11/18-23/14	51	37	12

Gallup Poll. Nov. 6-9, 2014. N=828 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
					.
"Now that the Republicans have won control of Congress in this November's elections, do you think the country will be better off, worse off, or will it not make any difference?"
					.
		Better off	Worse off	No difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	11/6-9/14	34	19	44	2

CNN/ORC Poll. Sept. 5-7, 2014. N=1,014 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Now I'd like you to compare the current members of Congress with the members who served in Congress in previous years. Do you think that the way Congress has handled its job this year has made this the worst Congress in your lifetime, or don't you think so?"
					.
		The worst	Don't think so	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/5-7/14	65	32	2
	12/16-19/13	67	28	5
					.
"As you may know, the Republicans currently control the U.S. House of Representatives and the Democrats currently control the U.S. Senate. If the Republicans continue to control the U.S. House after the congressional elections this November, do you think the country would be better off if the Republicans controlled the U.S. Senate or if the Democrats controlled the U.S. Senate?"
					.
		Republicans control Senate	Democrats control Senate	Neither (vol.)	Both the same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/5-7/14	42	46	6	3	3
	5/2-4/14	42	45	6	3	4

CNN/ORC Poll. Oct. 18-20, 2013. N=841 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.
					.
"Do you think it is good for the country or bad for the country that the Republican Party is in control of the U.S. House of Representatives?" 2010: "Do you think it will be good for the country or bad for the country that the Republican Party will be in control of the U.S. House?"
					.
		Good	Bad	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/18-20/13	38	54	4	3
	12/17-18/12	51	43	5	1
	5/24-26/11	48	44	6	3
	1/14-16/11	50	41	6	3
	12/17-19/10	51	42	4	2
	11/11-14/10	52	39	5	3
					.
"If you had to choose, would you rather see John Boehner remain as speaker of the House, or would you rather see Boehner replaced as speaker by another Republican?"
					.
		Remain	Replaced	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/18-20/13	30	63	7

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Oct. 17-20, 2013. N=1,002 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.
					.
"Generally, do you think the Republicans in Congress are more interested in doing what's best for the country or what's best for themselves politically?"
					.
		Best for the country	Best for themselves	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	20	77	3
					.
"Generally, do you think the Democrats in Congress are more interested in doing what's best for the country or what's best for themselves politically?"
					.
		Best for the country	Best for themselves	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	34	63	3

Pew Research Center. Oct. 9-13, 2013. N=1,504 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.9.
					.
"Now I would like to ask you about some parts of the government. Is your overall opinion of Congress very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly UNfavorable, or very unfavorable?"
					.
		Favorable	Unfavorable	Can't rate (vol.)/Refused	.	.
		%	%	%	.	.
	10/9-13/13	23	73	4	.	.
					.
"Which comes closer to your view of Congress these days? Most members of Congress have good intentions, it's the political system that is broken. The political system can work fine, it's the members of Congress that are the problem." Options rotated
					.
		Political system is broken	Members of Congress are the problem	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/9-13/13	32	58	5	1	5

Gallup Poll. Oct. 3-6, 2013. N=1,028 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
					.
"Do you think it is better for the country to have a president who comes from the same political party that controls Congress, does it make no difference either way, or do you think it is better to have a president from one political party and Congress controlled by another?" Options rotated
					.
		Same party	No difference	Different parties	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/3-6/13	25	38	28	9
	9/6-9/12	38	33	23	6
	9/8-11/11	28	39	29	5
	8/27-30/10	27	40	27	5
	5/24-25/10	27	39	30	4
	9/8-11/08	34	34	25	7
	9/14-16/07	26	38	29	6
	9/7-10/06	28	36	32	3
	6/23-25/06	26	38	31	5
	9/12-15/05	29	33	36	2
	9/13-15/04	33	37	26	4
	9/8-10/03	35	37	26	2
	9/5-8/02	34	33	30	3

CBS News/New York Times Poll. April 24-28, 2013. N=965 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Do you think most members of Congress are more interested in serving the people they represent, or more interested in serving special interest groups?"
					.
		People	Special interests	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/24-28/13	9	85	6
	9/15-19/06	18	75	7

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Jan. 11-15, 2013. N=1,110 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Do you think that in the next two years the new Congress will accomplish more or less than Congress usually does in a typical two-year period?"
					.
		More	Less	Same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/11-15/13	38	43	9	9
	1/5-9/11	40	39	11	10
	11/7-10/10	39	41	9	11
	1/18-21/07	50	33	8	9
	1/1-3/07	49	32	10	10
	12/8-10/06	47	34	9	10
	1/4-6/03	48	30	9	13

Gallup Poll. Jan. 8-9, 2013. N=1,013 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
					.
"Suppose that on Election Day you could vote on key issues as well as candidates. Would you vote for or against a law that would limit the number of terms which members of Congress and the U.S. Senate can serve?"
					.
		For	Against	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/8-9/13	75	21	5

United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Nov. 29-Dec. 2, 2012. N=1,003 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.6.
					.
"As you may know, the Senate operates under procedures that effectively require 60 votes, out of 100, for most legislation to pass. This allows a minority of as few as 41 senators to block a majority. Do you think this procedure should remain in place, or do you think it should be changed so that legislation is passed with a simple majority?"
					.
		Should remain	Should be changed	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	11/29 - 12/2/12	42	49	9

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Jan. 12-17, 2012. N=1,154 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Do you think the Republicans in Congress have the same priorities for the country as you have, or don't they?"
					.
		The same priorities	Not the same priorities	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/12-17/12	26	66	8
	4/15-20/11	32	60	8

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). Dec. 7-11, 2011. N=1,000 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1. RV = registered voters.
							.
"How would you rate the overall performance and accomplishments of this year's Congress: one of the best, above average, average, below average, or one of the worst?"
							.
		One of the best	Above average	Average	Below average	One of the worst	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%	%
	12/7-11/11	1	2	21	33	42	1
	8/5-9/10	1	5	31	28	32	3
	12/11-14/09	1	6	32	24	34	3
	7/24-27/09	2	11	40	21	23	3
	10/06 RV	1	4	37	31	25	2
	7/05	1	6	47	32	11	3
	6/00 RV	2	9	58	22	7	2

CNN/ORC Poll. Oct. 14-16, 2011. N=1,007 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Do you think that Congress so far this year has done something to address the problems facing the country today, or do you think Congress has done nothing to address the country's problems?"
					.
		Something	Nothing	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/14-16/11	28	69	3
					.
"Do you think that Congress so far this year has done something to address the problems facing the country today, or do you think Congress has done nothing to address the country's problems?" If "has done nothing": "Do you think the Republicans in Congress or the Democrats in Congress have been more responsible for the fact that Congress has done nothing to address the country's problems?" Combined responses
					.
		Something	Nothing: Republicans responsible	Nothing: Democrats responsible	Nothing: Equally responsible (vol.)	Nothing: Neither responsible (vol.)
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/14-16/11	28	28	18	18	4

CNN/ORC Poll. Sept. 23-25, 2011. N=1,010 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Do you think the policies being proposed by the Democratic leaders in the U.S. House and Senate would move the country in the right direction or the wrong direction?"
					.
		Right direction	Wrong direction	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/23-25/11	43	53	4
	7/18-20/11	43	53	4
	1/21-23/11	45	52	4
	12/17-19/10	48	48	4
	12/16-20/09	51	46	3
	8/28-31/09	52	45	3
	5/14-17/09	57	40	3
	9/7-9/07	50	39	11
	4/10-12/07	49	39	12
	1/19-21/07	51	31	17
	12/15-17/06	49	39	12
	10/13-15/06	53	35	12
	8/2-3/06	41	44	15

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). June 9-13, 2011. N=approx. 500 adults nationwide.
					.
"Do you think the Republican Congress has mostly brought the right kind of change to the country, mostly brought the wrong kind of change, or has not really brought much change either way?"
					.
		Right kind of change	Wrong kind of change	Not much change	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/9-13/11	13	23	60	4

AP-GfK Poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Corporate Communications. March 24-28, 2011. N=1,001 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.2.
					.
"As you may know, the Republicans now control the House of Representatives, while Democrats control the Senate and the presidency. Do you think it good for the country, bad for the country, or does it not really make a difference that the Republicans now control the House of Representatives while Democrats control the Senate and the presidency?"
					.
		Good	Bad	No difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/24-28/11	31	26	42	1
	1/5-10/11	38	25	34	2
	11/3-8/10	42	22	33	3
					.
"How well do you think the Republicans in Congress understand the important issues the country will need to focus on during the next two years? Would you say [see below]?"
					.
		Extremely well	Very well	Somewhat well	Not too well	Not well at all
		%	%	%	%	%
	3/24-28/11	9	17	39	17	19
	1/5-10/11	10	18	39	17	16

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Jan. 14-16, 2011. N=1,014 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"In the past, when the president has given his State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress, Republicans have all sat on one side of the room and Democrats have all sat on the other side. Do you think that should occur during this year's State of the Union speech, or do you think Republican and Democratic members of Congress should sit next to each other on both sides of the room while the speech is in progress?"
					.
		Sit on opposite sides	Sit next to each other	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	22	72	6
	Democrats	15	80	5
	Independents	15	78	7
	Republicans	38	56	7

CBS News Poll. Jan. 9-10, 2011. N=673 adults nationwide first polled by CBS News Dec. 17-20, 2010. Margin of error ą 4.
					.
"Do you think members of Congress should or should not be given bodyguards to help protect them?"
					.
		Should	Should not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/9-10/11	48	45	7

Pew Research Center. Jan. 5-9, 2011. N=1,503 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Do you approve or disapprove of Republican congressional leaders' policies and plans for the future?"
					.
		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	34	43	22
	Republicans	69	13	18
	Democrats	13	68	19
	Independents	30	45	25

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Dec. 17-19, 2010. N=1,008 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Do you think the Republicans will do a better job running the U.S. House than the Democrats did, a worse job than the Democrats, or won't there be much difference?"
					.
		Better	Worse	No difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	12/17-19/10	26	22	52	1
	11/11-14/10	33	21	44	2

McClatchy-Marist Poll. Nov. 15-18, 2010. N=810 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.
					.
"The Republicans have control of the House of Representatives. Which statement comes closer to your view about what you think should happen? The Republicans should compromise with the Democrats and President Obama to get things done. The Republicans should stand firm on their positions even it if means things don't get done."
					.
		Compromise	Stand firm	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	72	25	3
	Democrats	94	4	1
	Republicans	49	47	4
	Independents	71	25	3
					.
"What do you think will happen? The Republicans will compromise with the Democrats and President Obama to get things done. The Republicans will stand firm on their positions even it if means things don't get done."
					.
		Compromise	Stand firm	Unsure
		%	%	%
	11/15-18/10	28	64	7

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Nov. 11-14, 2010. N=1,014 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Compared to the last Congress, do you think the new Congress will be more corrupt, less corrupt, or won't there be any difference?"
					.
		More corrupt	Less corrupt	No difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	11/11-14/10	15	25	59	2
	12/15-17/06	16	32	49	2

AP-GfK Poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media. Nov. 3-8, 2010. N=1,000 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.1.
					.
"How confident are you that President Obama and the Republicans in Congress can work together to solve the country's problems . . . ?"
					.
		Very confident	Somewhat confident	Not too confident	Not at all confident
		%	%	%	%
	11/3-8/10	6	36	31	27
					.
"How confident are you that Republicans in Congress will be successful in bringing about the changes needed to improve the economy . . . ?"
					.
		Very confident	Somewhat confident	Not very confident	Not at all confident	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	11/3-8/10	7	45	26	20	2
					.
"How confident are you that the Republicans in Congress will be able to implement the policy agenda they promised in the campaign . . . ?"
					.
		Very confident	Somewhat confident	Not very confident	Not at all confident	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	11/3-8/10	6	41	34	18	1

Pew Research Center. Nov. 4-7, 2010. N=1,255 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.
					.
"Are you happy or unhappy that the Republican Party won control of the House of Representatives?"
					.
		Happy	Unhappy	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	11/4-7/10	48	34	18
					.
"As best you can tell, do you approve or disapprove of Republican congressional leaders' policies and plans for the future?"
					.
		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	11/4-7/10	41	37	22
					.
"Generally, do you think Republican leaders in Congress will be successful or unsuccessful in getting their programs passed into law?"
					.
		Successful	Unsuccessful	Mixed (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	11/4-7/10	43	37	5	15
					.
"Do you think the Republicans will do a better job running the House of Representatives than the Democrats did, a worse job than the Democrats, or won't there be much difference?"
					.
		Better	Worse	No difference	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	11/4-7/10	33	14	48	5

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Oct. 28-31, 2010. N=1,100 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
					.
"Do you think the country would be better off if the Republicans controlled Congress, if the Democrats controlled Congress, or would the country be the same regardless of which party controlled Congress?"
					.
		Republicans	Democrats	Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/28-31/10	32	23	40	4
	11/2-5/106	25	34	35	6
	6/23-25/06	18	32	48	3
	3/5-7/04	25	31	39	5
	11/8-10/02	28	22	47	3
	10/31 - 11/3/02	25	27	42	6
	10/23-25/98	24	22	48	6

Gallup Poll. Oct. 21-24, 2010. N=1,021 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
					.
"Do you think Congress has accomplished more this year, less, or about the same as it has in the past few years?"
					.
		More	Less	Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/21-24/10	23	37	35	5
	10/7-9/94	10	36	51	3
					.
"How much does it matter to you which political party controls Congress: a great deal, a moderate amount, not much, or not at all?"
					.
		A great deal	A moderate amount	Not much	Not at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/21-24/10	49	27	13	11	1
	10/3-6/02	40	30	18	10	2

Pew Research/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll, sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management. Sept. 30-Oct. 3, 2010. N=1,002 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
					.
"This year, have Republicans and Democrats in Washington been working together more to solve problems OR have they been bickering and opposing one another more than usual?"
					.
		Working together more	Bickering more	Same as in past (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/30 - 10/3/10	8	77	4	11
					.
"Compared to recent Congresses, would you say THIS Congress has accomplished more, accomplished less, or accomplished about the same amount?"
					.
		More	Less	About the same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/30 - 10/3/10	20	36	37	7
	6/16-20/10	18	33	44	6

Gallup Poll. Sept. 23-26, 2010. N=1,036 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
					.
"Regardless of how you, yourself, plan to vote, which party do you think will win control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the congressional elections this fall: the Republicans or the Democrats?" Options rotated
					.
		Republicans	Democrats	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/23-26/10	52	32	15
					.
"Suppose the Republicans win control of Congress in this November's elections. Do you think the country would be better off, worse off, or would it not make any difference?"
					.
		Better off	Worse off	No difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/23-26/10	36	24	32	7

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Sept. 21-23, 2010. N=1,010 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Do you think the country would be better off if the Republicans controlled Congress, if the Democrats controlled Congress, or would the country be the same regardless of which party controlled Congress?"
					.
		Republicans	Democrats	Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/21-23/10	30	23	45	2
	5/21-23/10	28	27	44	1
	11/3-5/06	20	39	37	3

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Sept. 1-2, 2010. N=900 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Do you favor or oppose establishing term limits on the number of terms members of the U.S. Congress can serve, including your own senators and representatives?" 2009 & 2005: "Do you favor or oppose limiting the number of terms members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, including your own senators and representatives, can serve?"
					.
		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/1-2/10	78	16	6
					.
	3/3-4/09	70	24	6
	6/14-15/05	68	21	11

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. June 3-6, 2010. N=1,004 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.
					.
"How do you personally feel about the policies offered by the Republicans in Congress: enthusiastic, satisfied but not enthusiastic, dissatisfied but not angry, or angry?"
					.
		Enthusiastic	Satisfied	Dissatisfied	Angry	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	6/3-6/10	3	35	44	16	2

CBS News Poll. March 29-April 1, 2010. N=858 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"In general, when most members of Congress debate issues facing the country do you think they are more civil today compared to 10 years ago, less civil, or about as civil as they were 10 years ago?"
					.
		More civil	Less civil	About as civil	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/29 - 4/1/10	11	56	27	6

Quinnipiac University Poll. March 16-21, 2010. N=1,907 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.2.
					.
"Some people have suggested eliminating the filibuster procedure in the U.S. Senate so that all that would be needed to pass legislation would be a simple majority of votes, 51 out of 100. Do you think that is a good idea or a bad idea?"
					.
		Good idea	Bad idea	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/16-21/10	39	51	10

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. March 19-21, 2010. N=1,030 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Generally speaking, do you think most Republicans in Congress are ethical or unethical?"
					.
		Ethical	Unethical	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/19-21/10	46	51	3
	10/6-8/06	47	44	10
					.
"Generally speaking, do you think most Democrats in Congress are ethical or unethical?"
					.
		Ethical	Unethical	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/19-21/10	47	49	4
	10/6-8/06	54	34	11

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Feb. 5-10, 2010. N=1,084 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"As you may know, the Senate operates under procedures that effectively require 60 votes, out of 100, for most legislation to pass, allowing a minority of as few as 41 senators to block a majority. Do you think this procedure should remain in place, or do you think it should be changed so that legislation is passed with a simple majority?"
					.
		Should remain	Should be changed	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/5-10/10	44	50	6

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Jan. 22-24, 2010. N=1,009 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Do you think it is good for the country or bad for the country that the Democratic Party is in control of Congress?"
					.
		Good	Bad	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/22-24/10	45	48	7	1
	6/26-28/09	50	41	7	2
	12/6-9/07	53	37	8	2
	6/22-24/07	57	31	7	5
	5/4-6/07	51	37	9	3
	3/9-11/07	59	29	6	6
					.
"Now here are a few questions concerning the special election in Massachusetts in which a Republican won the seat in the U.S. Senate to replace Ted Kennedy, who died last year. Until that special election, the Democrats had sixty votes in the U.S. Senate which allowed them to pass legislation without any votes from Republican senators. Now the Democrats still have a large majority but cannot pass bills without cooperation from at least one Republican senator. Do you think this change will be good for the country or bad for the country?"
					.
		Good	Bad	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/22-24/10	70	28	2	1

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). Dec. 11-14, 2009. N=approx. 500 adults nationwide. RV = registered voters.
							.
"How would you rate the overall performance and accomplishments of this year's Congress: one of the best, above average, average, below average, or one of the worst?"
							.
		One of the best	Above average	Average	Below average	One of the worst	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%	%
	12/11-14/09	1	6	32	24	34	3
	7/24-27/09	2	11	40	21	23	3
	10/06 RV	1	4	37	31	25	2
	7/05	1	6	47	32	11	3
	6/00 RV	2	9	58	22	7	2
							.
"Looking back, do you feel that in 2009 the country found the Democrats and Republicans in Congress in a period of unity by working together and reaching consensus, or was it a period of division where the parties held fast to their positions and showed little willingness to compromise?"
							.
		Unity	Division	Depends (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	12/11-14/09	12	81	3	4

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Nov. 13-15, 2009. N=1,014 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"As you may know, the filibuster is a Senate procedure which has been used to prevent the Senate from passing controversial legislation or confirming controversial appointments by the president, even if a majority of senators support that action. A vote of at least sixty senators out of one hundred is needed to end a filibuster. Do you favor or oppose the use of the filibuster in the U.S. Senate?"
					.
		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	11/13-15/09	56	39	5

USA Today/Gallup Poll. April 20-21, 2009. N=1,051 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"In dealing with the problems facing the country, do you think Barack Obama has or has not made a sincere effort to work with the Republicans in Congress to find solutions that are acceptable to both parties?"
					.
		Has	Has not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/20-21/09	66	30	4
					.
"Do you think the Republicans in Congress have or have not made a sincere effort to work with Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress to find solutions that are acceptable to both parties?"
					.
		Have	Have not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/20-21/09	38	56	6
					.
"Do you think the Democrats in Congress have or have not made a sincere effort to work with the Republicans in Congress to find solutions that are acceptable to both parties?"
					.
		Have	Have not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/20-21/09	44	50	6

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Jan. 5, 2009. N=1,000 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
						.
"As you may know, the governor of New York will need to appoint someone to replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S. senate once she becomes secretary of state in January. Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of former president John F. Kennedy, has been mentioned as a possible replacement. Would you like to see Caroline Kennedy appointed to this seat or would you rather see someone else get the appointment?"
						.
		Kennedy	Someone else	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/5/09	45	36	19
						.
"Next, as you may know, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been charged with trying to illegally profit from naming Barack Obama's replacement to the U.S. Senate. Despite the controversy, last week Blagojevich appointed former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris to fill Obama's seat. How closely have you been following the news about this matter: very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely or not at all?"
						.
		Very closely	Somewhat closely	Not too closely	Not at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/5/09	21	38	25	16	1
						.
"As you may know, the Senate reconvenes this week. How do you think the Senate should handle the situation when Roland Burris arrives to fill the open Illinois Senate seat? Should the Senate allow Burris to fill the seat or block Burris from filling the seat?" Options rotated
						.
		Allow Burris to fill seat	Block Burris	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/5/09	27	51	21
						.
"Which of the following would you like to see the state of Illinois do to fill the open Senate seat? Allow Roland Burris to serve until 2010 when the next election is scheduled. Keep the seat open until the situation with Blagojevich is resolved and allow him or a new governor to appoint a senator to serve until the 2010 election. OR, Hold a special election as soon as possible to fill the seat."
						.
		Allow Burris to serve until 2010	Keep the seat open until resolution	Hold a special election	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/5/09	16	23	52	10
						.
"How much involvement do you think Barack Obama should have in attempts to fill his former U.S. Senate seat: a great deal, a fair amount, not much, or none at all?"
						.
		A great deal	A fair amount	Not much	None at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/5/09	12	17	16	51	3

Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll. Dec. 6-8, 2008. N=1,000 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
						.
"Do you have a lot, some or no confidence that the Democrats and Republicans in Congress over the next two years will be able to work together in a bipartisan way?"
						.
		A lot	Some	None	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	12/6-8/08	23	48	23	6

AP-GfK Poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media. Nov. 6-10, 2008. N=1,001 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.
						.
"As you may know, the Democrats will now control the House of Representatives, the Senate and the presidency. Do you think it good for the country, bad for the country, or does it not really make a difference that the Democrats now control the House, the Senate and the presidency?"
						.
		Good	Bad	No difference	Unsure	Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	11/6-10/08	42	34	20	4	1

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Nov. 6-9, 2008. N=1,246 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"As you may know, the Democrats will control both the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as the presidency. Do you think this will be good for the country or bad for the country?"
					.
		Good	Bad	Unsure
		%	%	%
	11/6-9/08	59	38	3
					.
"If you had to choose, would you rather see Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress mostly implement Democratic policies and pay little attention to the positions taken by the Republican leaders in Congress, or would you rather see Obama and the Democrats in Congress include Republican policies in any legislation that they pass?"
					.
		Democratic policies	Bipartisan policies	Unsure
		%	%	%
	11/6-9/08	13	86	1
					.
"And when Barack Obama and the Democratic leaders in Congress disagree on an issue, are you more likely to trust Obama or more likely to trust the Democratic leaders in Congress?"
					.
		Obama	Democratic congressional leaders	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	11/6-9/08	59	24	7	8	2

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). Jan. 20-22, 2008. N=approx. 500 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.4.
						.
"Who do you want to see take the lead role in setting policy for the country: George W. Bush or the Congress?"
						.
		Bush	Congress	Shared/ Equal (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/20-22/08	21	62	10	4	3
	1/07	22	57	16	3	2
	1/06	25	49	16	7	3
	1/02	44	32	22	1	1

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Dec. 6-9, 2007. N=508 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.5.
					.
"Do you approve or disapprove of what the Democratic leaders in the U.S. House and Senate have done so far this year?"
					.
		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/6-9/07	39	56	6
	10/12-14/07	43	51	6
	6/22-24/07	42	49	9
	5/4-6/07	49	44	7
	3/9-11/07	47	40	13

Cook Political Report/RT Strategies Poll. Nov. 8-11, 2007. N=855 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.4.
						.
"Democrats gained majorities in the House and Senate in the 2006 elections and have been in the majority in both Houses of Congress all year. Do you think that the new Democratic majority in Congress is doing better, worse or about the same as the Republican majority that was in power before them?"
						.
		Better	Worse	Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	ALL	25	22	46	6
	Republicans	5	44	47	4
	Independents	22	23	50	5
	Democrats	46	7	43	3

*ABC News/Washington Post* Poll. Sept. 27-30, 2007. N=1,114 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Overall, how much do you think Congress has accomplished this year: a great deal, a good amount, not too much, or nothing at all?"
					.
		A Great Deal	A Good Amount	Not Too Much	Nothing At All	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/27-30/07	2	14	65	17	1
					.
	Asked of those who said not too much or nothing at all: "Who would you say deserves most of the blame for that: President Bush and the Republicans in Congress or the Democrats in Congress?"
					.
		Bush and Republicans In Congress	Democrats In Congress	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/27-30/07	51	25	20	2	2

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Aug. 6-8, 2007. N=approx. 500 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.5.
					.
"Since the start of this year, when the Democrats took control of Congress, in general, would you say the Democratic Congress has been a success or a failure?"
					.
		Success	Failure	Unsure
		%	%	%
	8/6-8/07	37	55	8
					.
"Do you have more confidence in President Bush or in the Democrats in Congress to deal with the major issues facing the country today?"
					.
		President Bush	Democrats In Congress	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	8/6-8/07	35	48	3	12	2
	11/17-19/06	33	54	2	8	3

Pew Research Center. July 25-29, 2007. N=1,503 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Are you happy or unhappy that the Democratic Party won control of Congress in last November's election?"
					.
		Happy	Unhappy	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/25-29/07	50	35	15
					.
"Generally, do you think Democratic leaders in Congress will be successful or unsuccessful in getting their programs passed into law?"
					.
		Successful	Unsuccessful	Will Get Some (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/25-29/07	43	42	6	9
	3/21-25/07	54	32	4	10
	1/10-15/07	57	25	5	13
	11/9-12/06	59	22	6	13

CBS News/New York Times Poll. July 9-17, 2007. N=1,554 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Are you mostly pleased or mostly disappointed with what the Democrats in Congress are doing?"
					.
		Pleased	Disappointed	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/9-17/07	28	58	14
					.
"Are you mostly pleased or mostly disappointed with what the Republicans in Congress are doing?"
					.
		Pleased	Disappointed	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/9-17/07	21	68	11

CBS News. June 26-28, 2007. N=836 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
						.
"Do you think the current Congress has accomplished more or less than Congress usually does during its first six months?"
						.
		More	Less	Same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/26-28/07	16	59	6	19

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Neil Newhouse (R). April 20-23, 2007. N=1,004 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.
						.
"Do you think the Democratic Congress has mostly brought the right kind of change to the country, mostly brought the wrong kind of change, or has not really brought much change either way?"
						.
		Right Kind Of Change	Wrong Kind Of Change	Not Much Change	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/20-23/07	20	15	60	5

Associated Press-Ipsos poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs. April 2-4, 2007. N=1,000 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.
						.
"Now that the Democrats have taken control of Congress, do you think the country will be better off, worse off, or will it not make much difference?"
						.
		Better Off	Worse Off	Not Much Difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/2-4/07	39	21	39	1
	1/16-18/07	42	18	39	1
	11/10-12/06	42	21	33	4
						.
"How confident are you that President Bush and the Democrats in Congress can work together to solve the country's problems . . . ?"
						.
		Very Confident	Somewhat Confident	Not Too Confident	Not at All Confident	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	4/2-4/07	3	24	40	33	-
	1/16-18/07	5	35	35	25	-
	11/10-12/06	8	40	30	20	2

Cook Political Report/RT Strategies Poll. March 29-April 1, 2007. N=807 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.
						.
"Democrats gained majorities in the House and Senate in the 2006 elections. Do you think that the new Democratic majority in Congress is doing better, worse or about the same as the Republican majority that was in power before them?"
						.
		Better	Worse	Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	ALL reg. voters	28	18	44	10
	Republicans	4	42	46	8
	Independents	21	15	50	13
	Democrats	54	2	36	8

Diageo/Hotline Poll conducted by Financial Dynamics. March 29-April 1, 2007. N=800 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.
						.
"In general, are you happy or unhappy that the Democratic Party won control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in the November 2006 congressional elections?"
						.
		Happy	Unhappy	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	ALL reg. voters	55	29	11	4
	Republicans	20	61	15	4
	Independents	50	26	15	8
	Democrats	89	5	5	1

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Feb. 27-28, 2007. N=900 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
						.
"Democrats have been in control of Congress for about two months now. Would you say the new Democratic majority has been doing a better job or worse job than you expected they would do?"
						.
		Better	Worse	Same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	ALL reg. voters	30	27	23	20
	Democrats	51	11	19	19
	Republicans	10	44	24	22
	Independents	21	35	28	16

Cook Political Report/RT Strategies Poll. Feb. 15-18, 2007. N=840 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.4.
						.
"Democrats gained majorities in the House and Senate in the 2006 elections. After a little over a month in office, do you think that the new Democratic majority in Congress is doing better, worse or about the same as the Republican majority that was in power before them?"
						.
		Better	Worse	Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	ALL reg. voters	30	16	45	9
	Republicans	7	32	55	6
	Independents	22	15	51	12
	Democrats	56	2	33	10

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Jan. 17-18, 2007. N=1,003 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"From what you've seen or heard about the new Congress, in general, do you think the Democrats are keeping the promises they made during the campaign, or not?"
					.
		Are	Are Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL adults	43	24	33
	Republicans	19	42	39
	Democrats	69	9	22
	Independents	37	26	37

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Jan. 11, 2007. N=1,093 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Do you think it will be good for the country or bad for the country that the Democratic Party will be in control of Congress?"
					.
		Good	Bad	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/11/07	58	30	6	6
	12/15-17/06	61	32	4	4
	11/17-19/06	67	24	6	3

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Jan. 5-7, 2007. N=506 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 5.
					.
"Do you think the policies being proposed by [see below] would move the country in the right direction or in the wrong direction?"
					.
		Right Direction	Wrong Direction	Unsure
		%	%	%
	"The Republican leaders in the U.S. House and Senate"
	1/5-7/07	35	54	11
	1/6-8/06	40	50	10
					.
	"The Democratic leaders in the U.S. House and Senate"
	1/5-7/07	59	27	14
	1/6-8/06	44	43	14
					.
"Who do you want to have more influence over the direction the nation takes in the next year: George W. Bush or the Democrats in Congress?" Options rotated
					.
		Bush	Democrats In Congress	Both/ Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/5-7/07	32	63	4	2
	11/9-12/06	31	61	6	2
	1/11-14/02	59	36	2	3
	7/10-11/01	50	38	9	3
	6/8-10/01	48	41	6	5
	2/9-11/01	48	41	8	3

CBS News Poll. Jan. 1-3, 2007. N=993 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Over the coming year, do you think President George W. Bush and the Democrats in Congress will or will not be able to work together?"
					.
		Will	Will Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/1-3/07	41	51	8
	12/8-10/06	40	51	9
	11/12-13/06	50	40	10
					.
"Are you generally optimistic or pessimistic about the next two years with the Democratic Party in control of Congress?"
					.
		Optimistic	Pessimistic	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/1-3/07	68	25	7
	12/8-10/06	65	28	7

CNN Poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation. Dec. 15-17, 2006. N=1,019 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Democratic leaders in Congress are handling the transition from Republican to Democratic control of Congress?"
					.
		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/15-17/06	61	28	12
					.
"Do you think the Democratic leaders in Congress will bring real reform to the way Congress operates, or don't you think so?"
					.
		Real reform	Don't think so	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/15-17/06	46	49	6

*ABC News/Washington Post* Poll. Dec. 7-11, 2006. N=1,005 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Overall, who do you trust to do a better job coping with the main problems the nation faces over the next few years: Bush or the Democrats in Congress?" Options rotated
					.
		Bush	Democrats in Congress	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	12/7-11/06	31	57	1	8	2
	1/15-18/04	45	44	1	6	3
	4/27-30/03	55	37	1	4	3
					.
"As you may know, control of Congress will switch from the Republicans to the Democrats next month. Do you think that's a good thing, a bad thing, or doesn't it make any difference?"
					.
		Good Thing	Bad Thing	Doesn't Make a Difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	12/7-11/06	55	17	27	1
					.
"With control of Congress, do you think the Democrats should work mainly to carry out their agenda, or should work mainly to compromise with Bush and the Republicans?" Options rotated. Half sample.
					.
		Carry Out Agenda	Compromise	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/7-11/06	37	58	4
					.
"With the Democrats in control of Congress, do you think Bush should work mainly to carry out his agenda, or should work mainly to compromise with the Democrats?" Options rotated. Half sample.
					.
		Carry Out Agenda	Compromise	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/7-11/06	32	65	3
					.
"Overall, how much do you think Congress will be able to accomplish in the next year: a great deal, a good amount, not too much, or nothing at all?"
					.
		A Great Deal	A Good Amount	Not Too Much	Nothing at All	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	12/7-11/06	11	32	49	7	1

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Nov. 9-12, 2006. N=1,479 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Are you happy or unhappy that the Democratic Party won control of Congress?"
					.
		Happy	Unhappy	Unsure
		%	%	%
	11/9-12/06	60	24	16
					.
"Who in Washington do you think should take the lead in solving the nation's problems: President Bush, or the Democratic congressional leaders?"
					.
		President Bush	Democratic Congressional Leaders	Both/Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	ALL adults	29	51	14	6
	Republicans	65	15	17	3
	Democrats	9	79	9	3
	Independents	25	53	15	8
					.
"As best you can tell, do you approve or disapprove of Democratic congressional leaders' policies and plans for the future?"
					.
		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	11/9-12/06	50	21	29

CNN Poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation. Oct. 20-22, 2006. N=1,013 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Since the start of 1995 when Republicans took control of Congress, in general, would you say the Republican Congress has been a success or a failure?"
					.
		Success	Failure	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/20-22/06	40	56	4
	8/2-3/06	40	54	6
					.
"Are you satisfied with what Congress has accomplished in this year's session, or do you wish Congress had done more this year?"
					.
		Satisfied	Wish Had Done More	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/20-22/06	13	85	2
	8/30 - 9/2/06	12	84	3

CNN Poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation. Oct. 13-15, 2006. N=1,012 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"How important will each of the following issues be to your vote for Congress this year? Will it be extremely important, very important, moderately important, or not that important? The charges that a former congressman named Mark Foley behaved inappropriately toward teenage boys. "
					.
		Extremely Important	Very Important	Moderately Important	Not That Important	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/13-15/06	27	28	21	22	2
					.
"As you may know, former Florida Congressman Mark Foley resigned from Congress recently after the public release of sexually explicit messages he had sent to a teenage boy who had been a congressional page. Overall, which of the following statements best describes your view of former Congressman Foley's actions? Foley did something illegal. He did something immoral, but nothing illegal. OR, He did not do anything seriously wrong."
					.
		Illegal	Immoral, Not Illegal	Not Seriously Wrong	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/13-15/06	55	40	1	3
	10/6-8/06	53	40	2	5
					.
"Some Republican leaders in Congress were aware last year that Foley had sent messages to a former congressional page that some people considered inappropriate, although they say they were unaware of the messages that caused Foley to resign. The leaders did not take any disciplinary action and did not start a formal investigation at that time. Just your best guess: Why do you think the Republican leaders did not investigate this matter at that time? Do you think they were involved in a deliberate cover-up, or do you think they were unaware of the serious and inappropriate nature of Foley's behavior?"
					.
		Deliberate Cover-up	Unaware of Nature	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/13-15/06	57	39	4
	10/6-8/06	52	38	10
					.
"Thinking specifically about the speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert: Do you think Hastert should resign as the speaker of the House or do you think he should remain as the speaker of the House?"
					.
		Resign	Remain	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/13-15/06	50	39	11
	10/6-8/06	52	31	17
					.
"Which of the following statements comes closest to your own personal opinion of how the Foley matter was handled in Congress? You are angry about how the matter was handled. You are dissatisfied but not angry about it. OR, You are satisfied with how the matter was handled."
					.
		Angry	Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/13-15/06	20	57	19	3

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Oct. 10-11, 2006. N=900 likely voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"As you may know, Florida Republican Congressman Mark Foley recently resigned as a result of reports of inappropriate behavior toward teenagers working on Capitol Hill. "Do you think Democrats in Congress knew about Rep. Foley's inappropriate behavior and intentionally waited until close to the election to release the information to try to damage Republicans?"
					.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/10-11/06	49	34	18
					.
"Do you think Republicans in Congress knew about Rep. Foley's inappropriate behavior and intentionally failed to take action to try to protect Foley's seat in Congress?"
					.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/10-11/06	66	21	14

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Oct. 6-8, 2006. N=1,007 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"How closely have you been following the events surrounding Mark Foley, the former Republican congressman who reportedly sent explicit Internet messages to young males who had worked as pages in Congress: very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not at all?"
					.
		Very closely	Somewhat closely	Not too closely	Not at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/6-8/06	25	41	18	16	1
					.
"Which comes closer to your view about the Republican leadership in Congress in this matter before the story became public? The Republican leadership decided not to take strong action against Mark Foley for political reasons, although they knew enough about what he was doing. OR, The Republican leadership did not know enough about what Mark Foley was doing to justify taking strong action against him." Options rotated
					.
		Political reasons	Didn't know enough	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/6-8/06	54	34	12
					.
"Do you think Dennis Hastert should or should not resign as Speaker of the House?"
					.
		Should resign	Should not resign	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/6-8/06	43	36	21

CNN Poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation. Oct. 6-8, 2006. N=1,028 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Some Republican leaders in Congress were aware last year that Foley had sent messages to a former congressional page that some people considered inappropriate, although they say they were unaware of the messages that caused Foley to resign. The leaders did not take any disciplinary action and did not start a formal investigation at that time. Based on what you have read or heard, do you think the Republican leaders in Congress handled this matter appropriately or inappropriately?"
					.
		Appropriately	Inappropriately	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/6-8/06	17	75	8
					.
"If you do decide to vote this year, has the Foley matter made you less likely to vote for Republican candidates for Congress this year, or has the Foley matter had no effect on the chances that you will vote for a Republican this year?"
					.
		Less Likely	No Effect	More likely (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/6-8/06	27	65	5	3
					.
"Overall, do you feel the news media have acted responsibly or irresponsibly in its coverage of the Foley matter?"
					.
		Responsibly	Irresponsibly	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/6-8/06	61	30	9

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Oct. 5-6, 2006. Nationwide.
						.
"Please tell me which political party -- the Republicans or the Democrats -- you trust to do a better job handling each of the following. What about moral values? Which party do you trust to do a better job handling this issue?" N=1,004 adults, MoE ą 3
						.
		Republican Party	Democratic Party	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/5-6/06	36	42	4	10	8
						.
"As you may know, Congressman Mark Foley resigned last week after it was reported he sent sexually graphic emails to a 16-year-old male congressional page. Has the Mark Foley matter and the way congressional Republicans have handled it made you more likely or less likely to vote Republican for Congress this year -- or has the Foley matter not made much difference either way?" N=899 registered voters, MoE ą 4
						.
		More likely	Less likely	Not much difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	ALL reg. voters	3	27	65	5
	Republicans	7	9	81	3
	Democrats	2	42	49	7
	Independents	1	27	69	3
						.
"Do you think Dennis Hastert should give up his position as speaker of the House because of the way he has handled the Foley matter, or not?" N=1,004 adults, MoE ą 3
						.
		Should	Should not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL adults	43	36	21
	Republicans	22	57	21
	Democrats	58	22	20
	Independents	41	36	23
						.
"From what you've heard or read, do you think House Speaker Dennis Hastert was aware of Foley's inappropriate conduct and tried to cover it up, or not?" N=1,004 adults, MoE ą 3
						.
		Tried to cover it up	Didn't try to cover it up	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL adults	52	24	24
	Republicans	29	43	28
	Democrats	69	12	19
	Independents	50	25	25
						.
"Do you think the Democrats have gone too far or have not gone too far in trying to use the Foley matter for partisan advantage?" N=1,004 adults, MoE ą 3
						.
		Gone too far	Not gone too far	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL adults	37	43	20
	Republicans	65	16	19
	Democrats	19	63	18
	Independents	36	45	19

Time Poll conducted by Schulman, Ronca & Bucuvalas (SRBI) Public Affairs. Oct. 3-4, 2006. N=1,002 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3
						.
"Have you heard or read anything about former Florida Republican congressman Mark Foley, who resigned last Friday amid allegations that he sent sexually explicit instant messages to teenage congressional pages?"
						.
		Have Heard/Read	Have Not Heard/Read	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/3-4/06	78	21	1
						.
	"Based on what you've seen or heard, do you think that Republican leaders in Congress handled this situation with Foley properly, or do you think that they tried to cover it up until it became public last week?" Asked of those who have heard or read about Foley
						.
		Handled Properly	Tried to Cover it Up	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/3-4/06	16	64	20
						.
	"Did the disclosure about Representative Foley's sexually explicit instant messages to teenage congressional pages and the handling of this situation by the House Republican leadership make you less likely to vote for the Republican candidate in your district, more likely, or did it really have no effect on how you will vote?" Asked of those who have heard or read about Foley
						.
		Less Likely	More Likely	No Effect	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/3-4/06	25	4	68	3
						.
	"Do you think that Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert should resign as speaker because of his handling of the Foley case, or not?" Asked of those who have heard or read about Foley
						.
		Should Resign	Should Not Resign	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/3-4/06	39	38	23

Associated Press-Ipsos poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs. Oct. 2-4, 2006. N=1,234 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.8.
					.
"Which comes closest to your feelings about the Republican leadership in Congress: enthusiastic, satisfied but not enthusiastic, dissatisfied but not angry, or angry?"
					.
		Enthusiastic	Satisfied	Dissatisfied	Angry	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/2-4/06	5	32	39	23	1
					.
"How important will recent disclosures of corruption and scandal in Congress be to your vote in November . . . ?"
					.
		Not at All Important	Slightly Important	Moderately Important	Very Important	Extremely Important
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/2-4/06	19	15	18	25	23

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Sept. 21-Oct. 4, 2006. N=1,503 registered voters nationwide.
						.
"Compared to recent Congresses, would you say THIS Congress has accomplished more, accomplished less, or accomplished about the same amount?"
						.
		More	Less	Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/21 - 10/4/06	6	41	47	6
	4/7-16/06	7	41	47	5
						.
	Asked of those who answered "Less" (N=646): "Who do you think is most to blame for this: Republican leaders in Congress or Democratic leaders in Congress?" Options rotated
						.
		Republican Leaders	Democratic Leaders	Both/Neither/ Other (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/21 - 10/4/06	62	10	24	4
	4/7-16/06	58	13	24	5

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Sept. 15-19, 2006. N=1,007 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"Do you think your own representative in Congress is more interested in serving the people he or she represents, or more interested in serving special interest groups?"
					.
		People	Special interests	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/15-19/06	46	43	11
					.
"Do you think your own representative in Congress understands the needs and problems of people like you, or not?"
					.
		Understands	Does not understand	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/15-19/06	49	44	7
					.
"During 2005 and 2006, do you think Congress has accomplished more or less than it usually does during a typical two year period?"
					.
		More	Less	Same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/15-19/06	12	68	8	12
					.
"Do you think most members of Congress understand the needs and problems of people like you, or not?"
					.
		Understand	Do not understand	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/15-19/06	28	68	4

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. July 11-12, 2006. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Do you feel Congress is currently working on issues that are important to most Americans?"
						.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/11-12/06	40	53	7
	6/14-15/05	41	51	8
						.
"Do you think the current Congress has gotten more work done this term, less work done, or about the same amount of work as is usually accomplished in a congressional term?"
						.
		More	Less	Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/11-12/06	3	38	50	9

CBS News Poll. April 6-9, 2006. N=899 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"During 2005 and 2006, do you think Congress is accomplishing more or less than it usually does during a typical two-year period?"
						.
		More	Less	Same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/6-9/06	15	67	9	9
						.
"If the Democrats were in control of Congress now, do you think Congress would do a better job than it has with the Republicans in control, a worse job than it has with the Republicans in control, or about the same job as it has with the Republicans in control?"
						.
		Better	Worse	Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	ALL adults	32	13	48	7
	Republicans	6	30	58	6
	Democrats	61	3	34	2
	Independents	30	8	53	9

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). Dec. 9-12, 2005. N=1,006 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.
					.
"I'm going to read you several qualities. For each one, please tell me whether you think it applies to all members of Congress, most members of Congress, about half the members of Congress, fewer than half the members of Congress, or very few members of Congress . . . ."
					.
		All	Most	About Half	Fewer Than Half	Very Few
		%	%	%	%	%
					.
	"Are honest and trustworthy in their conduct"
	12/9-12/05	5	20	31	18	23
					.
	"Work for the benefit of the people they represent"
	12/9-12/05	6	22	30	19	19

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Oct. 25-26, 2005. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Texas Congressman Tom DeLay has been indicted for misuse of campaign contributions. DeLay calls the indictment a political witch-hunt, while District Attorney Ronnie Earle says he is just doing his job. Based on what you know about the case, which do you think is more likely: the prosecutor is on a witch-hunt or is he just doing his job?" Options rotated
						.
		Witch-Hunt	Doing His Job	Mix of Both (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	ALL registered voters	23	49	11	17
	Democrats	13	64	9	14
	Republicans	38	33	10	18
	Independents	18	47	16	20

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Oct. 11-12, 2005. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
.
"Recently several high-profile Republicans have been the focus of legal controversies, including a grand jury indictment of Texas Congressman Tom DeLay and a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation of Tennessee Senator Bill Frist. Do you think these are better described as politically motivated attacks or as legitimate legal actions?" Options rotated
.
		Politically Motivated	Legitimate Legal Actions	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	ALL voters	34	29	14	1	22
	Democrats	23	42	13	1	21
	Republicans	51	13	12	1	23
	Independents	22	33	21	4	20

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). Oct. 8-10, 2005. N=807 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.4.
						.
"Recently, a series of charges have been raised against public officials. For each one I mention, please tell me whether this is nothing more than the usual kind of partisan political charge that has little merit, or whether you think this charge indicates potential illegal activity. [See below.]"
						.
		Usual Kind Of Partisan Charge	Potential Illegal Activity	Depends/ Some of Both (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	"Congressman Tom DeLay being indicted for illegal use of corporate contributions to political campaigns"
	10/8-10/05	24	65	4	7
						.
	"Senator Bill Frist's sale of stock in a company his family runs just before the value of the stock declined"
	10/8-10/05	28	57	3	12

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Sept. 29-30, 2005. N=1,004 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (among all adults).
						.
"As you may know, House majority leader Tom DeLay was indicted this week on charges of conspiracy to violate election laws in his home state of Texas. From what you've heard or read, do you think DeLay probably engaged in serious wrongdoing, OR that this is more likely a case of DeLay's political opponents wanting to embarrass him?"
						.
		Probably Engaged In Wrongdoing	Opponents Want To Embarrass	Not Aware Of Charges (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	ALL	39	28	10	23
	Republicans	21	47	10	22
	Democrats	59	16	7	18
	Independents	38	25	12	25
						.
"House Republican rules require Tom DeLay to temporarily give up his position as majority leader after his indictment. Do you think DeLay should go further and PERMANENTLY leave his position, or that he should return to his position if he is found not guilty?"
						.
		Permanently Leave	Return If Not Guilty	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	22	63	15
	Republicans	9	78	13
	Democrats	37	50	13
	Independents	22	66	12

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Sept. 9-13, 2005. N=1,167 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Do you think Congress has the same priorities for the country as you have, or not?"
					.
		Does	Does Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/9-13/05	29	63	8
	6/10-15/05	19	71	10
	5/20-24/05	20	68	12

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. June 14-15, 2005. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Do you favor or oppose limiting the number of terms members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, including your own senators and representatives, can serve?"
						.
		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/14-15/05	68	21	11
						.
"In general, do you think the Congress is in touch with what is going on in the country, or not?"
						.
		In Touch	Not in Touch	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	38	54	9
	Democrats	37	56	8
	Republicans	43	48	9
	Independents	31	61	8
						.
	Trend:
	6/30 - 7/1/03	52	35	13
						.
"Based on what you know, has Congress passed any legislation so far this year that will improve the quality of life for most Americans?"
						.
		Has	Has Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/14-15/05	18	61	21
						.
"In general, which of the following do you think better describes most senators and representatives on Capitol Hill these days? Statesmen doing service for their country. Petty politicians fighting for personal gain."
						.
		Statesmen	Petty Politicians	Mixed (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/14-15/05	17	63	15	6

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. June 2-5, 2005. N=1,002 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"As you may know, the Constitution gives the Senate the power to confirm the president's nominations to the federal courts. Would you say that the Senate should only consider a judge's background, experience and qualifications, OR should the Senate also consider a judge's views on political issues?"
					.
		Background, Experience, Qualifications	Views On Political Issues, Too	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/2-5/05	46	51	2

CBS News Poll. May 20-22, 2005. Adults nationwide.
		.	.	.	.	.
"In order for someone to be confirmed as a federal judge, what do you think should happen first? (1) Republicans and Democrats in the Senate should both have to agree that a person should be a judge, even if that takes a long time. OR, (2) Because Republicans have the most senators, Republicans should get to decide whether a person should be a judge, even if Democrats disagree." Form A (N=314, MoE ą 6)
					.
		Bipartisan Agreement	Republicans Decide	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/20-22/05	79	14	7
		.	.	.	.	.
"In order for someone to be confirmed as a federal judge, what do you think should happen first? (1) Both parties in the Senate should have to agree that a person should be a judge, even if that takes a long time. OR, (2) Whichever party has the most senators should get to decide whether a person should be a judge, even if the other party disagrees." Form B (N=341, MoE ą 6)
					.
		Bipartisan Agreement	Most Senators	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/20-22/05	74	17	9
		.	.	.	.	.
"As you may know, there are 100 senators. How many senators' votes should it take to move ahead to confirm a federal judicial nominee? Should a majority of 51 votes be required, or is this something that should require a larger majority of 60 votes?" Form C (N=328, MoE ą 6)
					.
		51 Votes	60 Votes	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/20-22/05	35	63	2
		.	.	.	.	.
"As you may know, there are 100 senators. How many senators' votes should it take to move ahead to confirm a Supreme Court nominee? Should a majority of 51 votes be required, or is this something that should require a larger majority of 60 votes?" Form D (N=327, MoE ą 6)
					.
		51 Votes	60 Votes	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/20-22/05	31	64	5
		.	.	.	.	.
"How closely would you say you have been following the debate about the filibuster in the Senate: very closely, somewhat closely, not very closely, or not at all closely?" N=655, MoE ą 4
					.
		Very Closely	Somewhat Closely	Not Very Closely	Not At All Closely
		%	%	%	%
	5/20-22/05	10	24	28	38
		.	.	.	.	.
"Looking ahead to the long term, do you think that eliminating the filibuster for judicial nominees would do more good than harm to the U.S. political system, more harm than good to the U.S. political system, or would that have no long-term effect on the U.S. political system?" N=655, MoE ą 4
					.
		More Good Than Harm	More Harm Than Good	No Effect	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	5/20-22/05	18	37	23	22

*ABC News/Washington Post* Poll. May 18-22, 2005. N=1,003 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
		.	.	.	.	.
"How closely have you been following news about the debate in the U.S. Senate over filibuster rules involving the confirmation of federal judges: very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely or not closely at all?"
					.
		Very Closely	Somewhat Closely	Not Too Closely	Not Closely At All	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	5/18-22/05	16	31	15	37	1
		.	.	.	.	.
"As you may know, the president nominates federal judges and the Senate votes whether to confirm them. A Senate rule called a filibuster allows a minority of senators to block a final vote on a judicial appointment even if a majority of senators supports the nominee. Republicans want to eliminate the filibuster rule for judges, saying it's unfair that a minority can block a vote by the full Senate. Democrats want to keep the filibuster rule for judges, saying the minority needs a way to block nominees that they strongly oppose. What about you? Do you prefer to eliminate the filibuster rule, or to keep the filibuster rule for judicial nominees?" Options rotated
					.
		Eliminate	Keep	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	43	40	17
	Democrats	20	64	16
	Republicans	67	20	13
	Independents	34	48	18

Associated Press-Ipsos poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs. May 17-19, 2005. N=1,028 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.
		.	.	.	.	.
"As you may know, the president nominates federal judges, but the appointments must be approved by the U.S. Senate. Do you think the Senate should give the president's judicial nominees the benefit of the doubt and approve them without a lot of scrutiny or take an assertive role in examining each nominee?"
					.
		Give Benefit Of the Doubt	Take Assertive Role	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/17-19/05	18	78	4

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). May 12-16, 2005. N=1,005 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.
						.
"When there are vacancies in the federal court system, should the Senate generally confirm the president's judicial nominees as long as they are honest and competent, or should the Senate make its own decision about the fitness of each nominee to serve?"
						.
		Generally Confirm	Make Own Decisions	Depends (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	5/12-16/05	34	56	5	5

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. May 11-15, 2005. N=1,502 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
		.	.	.	.	.
"How closely did you follow news about the debate over changing Senate rules to stop the Democrats from using the filibuster against some of President Bush's judicial nominees: very closely, fairly closely, not too closely, or not at all closely?"
					.
		Very Closely	Fairly Closely	Not Too Closely	Not At All Closely	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	5/11-15/05	14	20	26	39	1
		.	.	.	.	.
"How do you feel about this issue? Do you favor or oppose changing the rules of the Senate to stop the use of filibusters against judicial nominees?"
					.
		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/11-15/05	28	37	35
		.	.	.	.	.
"Who is more responsible for this situation? Is it President Bush for nominating judges who are too conservative, or is it the Democrats for using Senate rules to block a majority vote that they would lose?" Options rotated
					.
		Bush	Democrats	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/11-15/05	38	34	28
		.	.	.	.	.
"Here are a couple of statements about the situation in the Senate. For each, please tell me if you completely agree, mostly agree, mostly disagree, or completely disagree with it. . . ."
					.
		Agree	Disagree	Unsure
		%	%	%
					.
	"The Republicans won the last election so President Bush should be able to appoint anyone he wants to the federal courts if a majority of senators agree."
	5/11-15/05	53	43	4
		.	.	.	.	.
	"The minority party ought to be able to block some of the judges they feel strongly about because judges are appointed to the federal courts for life terms."
	5/11-15/05	62	30	8

Time Poll conducted by Schulman, Ronca & Bucuvalas (SRBI) Public Affairs. May 10-12, 2005. N=1,011 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
		.	.	.	.	.
"Some Republicans in the Senate want to eliminate the ability of Democrats to use the filibuster, or extended debate, to block the Senate from voting on some of President Bush's judicial nominees. Do you think the Republicans should or should not be able to eliminate the filibuster in this case?"
					.
		Should Be Able To Eliminate	Should Not Be Able To Eliminate	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/10-12/05	28	59	14

*CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll*. April 29-May 1, 2005. N=1,006 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"How closely have you been following the news about the use of the filibuster on judicial nominations in the U.S. Senate: very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not at all?"
						.
		Very Closely	Somewhat Closely	Not Too Closely	Not At All
		%	%	%	%
	4/29 - 5/1/05	12	23	28	37
						.
"As you may know, the filibuster is a Senate procedure which has been used to prevent the Senate from passing controversial legislation or confirming controversial appointments by the president, even if a majority of senators support that action. A vote of at least 60 senators out of 100 is needed to end a filibuster. Do you favor or oppose the use of the filibuster in the U.S. Senate?"
						.
		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/29 - 5/1/05	52	40	8
						.
"In the current controversy over the filibuster, whose side do you generally favor: the Republicans in the senate or the Democrats in the senate?" Options rotated
						.
		Republicans	Democrats	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/29 - 5/1/05	36	45	8	11
						.
"Just your best guess, do you think the Republicans are or are not trying to abuse their majority power?"
						.
		Are	Are Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/29 - 5/1/05	53	42	5
						.
"Just your best guess, do you think the Democrats are or are not trying to abuse the filibuster procedure?"
						.
		Are	Are Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/29 - 5/1/05	47	42	11

*ABC News/Washington Post* Poll. April 21-24, 2005. N=1,007 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"The Senate has confirmed 35 federal appeals court judges nominated by Bush, while Senate Democrats have blocked 10 others. Do you think the Senate Democrats are right or wrong to block these nominations?"
						.
		Right	Wrong	Both (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/21-24/05	48	36	3	13
						.
"Would you support or oppose changing Senate rules to make it easier for the Republicans to confirm Bush's judicial nominees?"
						.
		Support	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/21-24/05	26	66	8

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). March 31-April 3, 2005. N=1,002 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.
						.
"As you may know, the president of the United States is a Republican and Republicans are the majority party in both houses of Congress. Do you think that the Republicans have acted responsibly or do you think that they have NOT acted responsibly when it comes to handling their position and allowing full and fair debate with the Democrats?"
						.
		Responsibly	Not Responsibly	Depends (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/31 - 4/3/05	43	45	6	6
						.
"Which of the following roles would you like to see the Democrats in Congress play? (A) Work in a bipartisan way with Republicans to help pass President Bush's legislative priorities so that we do not have gridlock. OR, (B) Provide a balance to make sure that President Bush and the Republicans do not go too far in pushing their agenda."
						.
		Help Pass Bush Plan	Provide a Balance	Depends (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/31 - 4/3/05	30	63	5	2
	2/10-14/05	34	60	5	1
	1/13-17/05	33	57	7	3
						.
"As you may know, in the last term of Congress some senators used a procedure called a filibuster when it came to some of President Bush's judicial nominees. When this happens, it takes the votes of 60 senators instead of 51 to end debate and hold a confirmation vote for a nominee. In your opinion, should the Senate maintain the filibuster rule or eliminate the filibuster for judicial nominations?"
						.
		Maintain Filibuster	Eliminate Filibuster	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/31 - 4/3/05	50	40	10
	1/13-17/05	48	39	13

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. March 17-21, 2005. N=1,505 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Thinking about Congress as a whole, do you think Congress is doing an excellent, good, only fair, or poor job in [see below]?"
						.
		Excellent	Good	Only fair	Poor	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
						.
	"Acting ethically and honestly"
	3/17-21/05	1	22	43	29	5
						.
	"Dealing with the important issues facing the country"
	3/17-21/05	2	21	42	30	5
						.
	"Understanding the needs of people like yourself"
	3/17-21/05	2	18	38	38	4
						.
	"Working across party lines to reach compromises"
	3/17-21/05	1	17	38	37	7

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. March 17-18, 2005. N=1,010 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"U.S. Senate rules allow 41 senators to mount a filibuster -- refusing to end debate and agree to vote -- to block judicial nominees. In the past, this tactic has been used by both Democrats and Republicans to prevent certain judicial nominees from being confirmed. Senate Republican leaders -- whose party is now in the majority -- want to take away this tactic by changing the rules to require only 51 votes, instead of 60, to break a filibuster. Would you approve or disapprove of changing Senate rules to take away the filibuster and allow all of George W. Bush's judicial nominees to get voted on by the Senate?"
					.
		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	32	57	11
	Republicans	55	33	12
	Democrats	15	78	7
	Independents	31	60	9
					.
"Senate Democratic leaders have threatened to slow down or stop almost all but the most essential legislative business if Republicans take away their ability to use the filibuster to stop judicial nominees they consider to be conservative extremists. Would you approve or disapprove of the Democrats responding in this way if the Republicans take away the filibuster?"
					.
		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	40	46	14
	Republicans	15	72	13
	Democrats	65	26	9
	Independents	36	47	17

*ABC News/Washington* Post Poll**. May 31-June 3, 2001. N=1,004 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.
				.
"Do you think the country should go in the direction Bush wants to lead it, go in the direction the Democrats in Congress want to lead it, or what?"
		6/01	4/01
		%	%
	Bush direction	40	46
	Democrats' direction	42	36
	Other direction (vol.)	5	4
	Neither (vol.)	7	6
	No difference (vol.)	3	3
	No opinion	3	4
				.
"On another subject, which political party do you think is more open to the ideas of people who are political moderates: the Democrats or the Republicans?"
		%
	Democrats	57
	Republicans	32
	Both (vol.)	2
	Neither (vol.)	6
	No opinion	4
				.
"As you may know, control of the U.S. Senate is about to switch from the Republicans to the Democrats. On balance, do you think the Democrats' taking control of the Senate is a good thing or a bad thing for the country, or doesn't it make much difference?"
		%
	Good thing	41
	Bad thing	20
	Not much difference	38
	No opinion	1
				.
"In the last four months do you think Bush has tried mainly to push his own agenda in Congress, or tried mainly to compromise with the Democrats in Congress?"
		%
	Push his own agenda	63
	Compromise with Democrats	32
	No opinion	5
				.
"In the future, do you think Bush SHOULD try mainly to push his own agenda in Congress, or try mainly to compromise with the Democrats in Congress?"
		%
	Push his own agenda	29
	Compromise with Democrats	68
	No opinion	4

CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. May 24, 2001. N=641 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.
						.
		ALL	Republicans	Independents	Democrats
		%	%	%	%
"Jim Jeffords, a U.S. senator from Vermont, announced today that he is leaving the Republican Party and becoming an independent. How closely have you been following the news about Jeffords’ decision: very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not at all?"
	Very closely	16	23	11	15
	Somewhat closely	34	39	33	30
	Not too closely	18	16	14	23
	Not at all	31	21	41	32
	Unsure	1	1	1	-
						.
"As you may know, Jeffords’ decision to become an independent will now give Democrats control of the Senate. Overall, do you think Jeffords' decision will be good or bad for the country?"
	Good	43	14	38	75
	Bad	35	75	22	9
	Unsure	22	11	40	16
						.
"How much of a difference do you think Jeffords' decision will make to the country: [rotate] a major difference, a minor difference, or no difference at all?"
	Major difference	36	39	26	40
	Minor difference	42	47	44	37
	No difference at all	15	9	19	16
	Unsure	7	5	11	7
						.
"As you may know, Senator Jeffords just won reelection for six years after running as a Republican. Now that he has decided to become an independent, what comes closer to your point of view? Jeffords should resign immediately and run for reelection as an independent. OR, Jeffords should remain in office and fulfill his six-year term with whatever party he chooses." Options rotated
	Resign immediately	35	58	31	17
	Remain in office	58	37	57	78
	Unsure	7	5	12	5
						.
"As a result of this, what do you think will happen between the Republicans and Democrats in Washington? Do you think there will be more cooperation, more gridlock -- or will there be no change?"
	More cooperation	15	10	11	23
	More gridlock	50	67	44	39
	No change	30	21	38	31
	Unsure	5	2	7	7
						.
"Senator Jeffords said one reason that he left the Republican Party is that the party has become too conservative under President Bush. Do you agree or disagree?"
	Agree	50	20	54	75
	Disagree	42	78	31	19
	Unsure	8	2	15	6
						.
"Do you think it is better for the country to have a president who comes from the same political party that controls Congress, OR, do you think it is better to have a president from one political party and Congress controlled by another?" Options rotated
	Same party	36	49	27	31
	Different party	42	30	44	50
	No difference (vol.)/Unsure	22	21	29	19

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Assoc. July 19-23, 2000. N=1,204 adults nationwide.
				.
"This year, have Republicans and Democrats in Washington been working together more to solve problems, OR have they been bickering and opposing one another more than usual?" Half sample (Form 1)
		7/00	8/99
		%	%
	Working together more	21	20
	Bickering more	54	68
	Same as in past (vol.)	10	4
	Don't know	15	8
				.
"Compared to recent Congresses, would you say this Congress has accomplished more, accomplished less, or accomplished about the same amount?" Half sample (Form 2)
		7/00	8/99
		%	%
	More	21	15
	Less	15	20
	Same	55	60
	Don't know	9	5

Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll. July 16-18, 1999. N=1,031 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
			.
"As you may know, the U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to increase the pay of members of Congress from approximately $137,000 to approximately $141,000. Do you approve or disapprove of this pay raise?"
		%
	Approve	24
	Disapprove	74
	No opinion	2

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Assoc. May 12-16, 1999. N=1,179 adults nationwide.
			.
"In your opinion, how often should Congress get a pay raise: every year, every 2 to 5 years, every 6 to 10 years, less often, or never?"
		%
	Every year	8
	Every 2-5 years	41
	Every 6-10 years	19
	Less often	10
	Never	14
	Don't know/Refused	8

Gallup Poll. March 19-21, 1999. N=1,018 adults nationwide.
				.
"Suppose that on election day this year you could vote on key issues as well as candidates. Please tell me whether you would vote for or against each one of the following propositions: Would you vote for or against a constitutional amendment to limit the number of terms which members of Congress and the U.S. Senate can serve?"
		3/99	4/96
		%	%
	For	73	74
	Against	24	23
	No opinion	3	3

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