Iran

Gallup: Iran, China Top America's 'Greatest Enemy' List

David Taintor | February 20, 2012, 10:44AM

America needs adversaries. And according to a new Gallup poll, Americans are happy to place Iran and China at the top of its "greatest enemy" list.

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Economy

Less Fruits Of More Labor: Workers Less Satisfied With Benefits And Wages

Kyle Leighton | September 5, 2011, 12:40PM

Unemployed workers rally in Indiana in May 2009.

Monday is Labor Day, a day off for most Americans who spend a good deal of their lives toiling at work. It's also a stark reminder to those who don't need reminding: the unemployed and the underemployed. But even those have a job are seeing less and less in returns from that job, says new data from Gallup released Monday. Nearly across the board employees are less satisfied with their health care benefits, their chances for a promotion, job security, and of course, wages.

But all is not lost among those with work. In fact, the survey shows a near high in terms of people who are satisfied with their job, 47 percent, up from 35 in the booming economic times of the late 90s, and just down from 50 percent in 2009. So it seems that though many Americans are less pleased about the individual aspects of their jobs, having one still counts for a lot given the times.

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Polls

Gallup Poll: Obama Approval Hits New Low

Kyle Leighton | August 15, 2011, 9:02AM

It's the middle of August, members of Congress are at home, and the traditional thinking is that most of America is on vacation, whether they've physically left their homes or not. But it seems that whatever the theory about who is paying attention, President Obama is seeing a downward trend in his approval rating, which just hit another low.

Obama registered 39% approval in the daily Gallup tracking poll from Sunday, which is made up of interviews of adult Americans from the three days prior to release (Thursday-Friday-Saturday of last week). It was also the first time the President has dipped below the forty percent threshold.

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Polls

Obama Surges To Lead Against Generic Republican

Benjy Sarlin | August 9, 2011, 5:32PM

Beset by debt ceiling woes, President Obama has been trailing behind a hypothetical "generic Republican" in recent polls. But no longer! The latest from Gallup has him moving into a solid lead.

According to the monthly survey, which was conducted from August 4 -7, Obama would win 45-39 against "the Republican party's candidate." The previous two polls from Gallup had the generic GOPer running strong with a 47-39 lead in July and 44-39 lead in June.

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Congress

Congress: Does It Matter If Americans Hate It?

Kyle Leighton | August 9, 2011, 10:50AM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Last week, the New York Times/CBS News poll put an emphatic point on the acrimonious debt debate by producing a new record: the highest disapproval rating that Congress had ever received in the survey since it began in 1977.

The reasons are pretty obvious: not only did Congress, and specifically the House GOP play chicken with the US credit rating (and actually succeed in drawing a downgrade from one rating agency, S&P), the legislative branch took that chance with an economy still struggling to emerge from a deep recession with the added strife of three current military entanglements abroad. In other words, it was actually hard to make the situation much worse, but Congress did.

The sad distinction now is between the usually low approval ratings of Congress, and historically high disapproval ratings. And behind that distinction is a simple question: does it even matter when it comes to elections?

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Muslims

Gallup Report: Muslim Americans See Hope In Their Economic Future

Kyle Leighton | August 2, 2011, 10:25AM

According to a new study by Gallup, there is one religious group of Americans who are more likely to believe that they will get closer to the best possible life for themselves in the next five years. This same group is also second most likely to consider themselves "thriving," while second least likely to consider themselves "struggling," and far and away more apt say that their standard of living is increasing. It's also the same group of which nearly one in two report experiencing either racial or religious discrimination.

It is an improving time to be a Muslim American, according to the numbers.

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Mitt Romney

Romney Cements Frontrunner Status Ahead Of NH Debate

Jon Terbush | June 13, 2011, 3:17PM

Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney bolstered his status as the clear early frontrunner in the GOP presidential field, as two polls conducted just ahead of Monday night's debate show Romney pulling away from the pack.

In each poll, Romney earned the support of one-fourth of respondents, giving him comfortable leads over the rest of the field. And in each poll, a candidate who will not be participating in the debate and who has not made a final decision about a potential candidacy claimed second place: Sarah Palin.

In a Gallup poll released Monday, Romney came out on top at 24%, a seven point increase from where he stood last month. That boost gave him a robust eight point lead over Palin, who came in at 16%, and who had trailed Romney by only two points last month. Former pizza chain CEO Herman Cain placed third at 9%, followed by Ron Paul with 7%, and then Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum with 6%. Newt Gingrich, who just a few months ago typically finished in the top tier, dropped down to 8th place at 5% after a bruising month of gaffes and bad press.

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Same Sex Marriage

For First Time Ever, Gallup Finds Majority Support Same Sex Marriage

Jon Terbush | May 20, 2011, 11:11AM

In a historic shift, a Gallup poll released Friday morning finds that for the first time, a majority of Americans suport legalizing same sex marriage.

That result reinforces a trove of recent polls that have produced similar findings, and it furthers a trend of Americans gradually becoming more accepting of legal recognition for same sex couples. It comes as Republicans are taking legal action over the Obama administration's decision to no longer defend parts of the Defense of Marriage Act on grounds of constitutionality.

In the poll, 53% of Americans said they supported same sex marriage, compared to 45% who said they did not. That's almost exactly the opposite of what Gallup found last year, when 53% of Americans opposed same sex marriage, while 44% supported it.

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Debt Ceiling

Poll: Plurality Oppose Raising Debt Ceiling, But Many Undecided

Jon Terbush | May 13, 2011, 12:20PM

According to a Gallup poll released on Friday, a 47% plurality of Americans don't want Congress to raise the debt ceiling. However, Americans appear to be largely ill-informed on the debt ceiling debate, as a a full one-third of respondents said they didn't know enough about the issue to form an opinion about it.

In the poll, 47% said they wanted their elected representatives to vote against raising the debt ceiling, while only 19% said Congress should raise the debt ceiling. But at the same time, 34% said they hadn't heard enough about the debate to decide either way.

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John Boehner

After Brief Honeymoon, Americans Sour On Boehner

Jon Terbush | April 28, 2011, 5:01PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

After giving Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) a brief post-election bump, Americans have gradually become less favorable toward him, as they are now evenly split between viewing him in a positive versus a negative light.

According to a Gallup poll released this week, 34% of Americans say they have a favorable opinion of Speaker Boehner, the same percentage who view him unfavorably. That's a sharp reversal from January, when Gallup found that 42% of Americans viewed him favorably, compared to only 22% who said the opposite.

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2012 Presidential Primaries

Gallup: Huckabee Leads 2012 GOP Field, Palin Loses Ground For First Time

Jon Terbush | March 25, 2011, 2:54PM

Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin

For the second straight month, Mike Huckabee topped Gallup's poll of the 2012 Republican presidential primary. Meanwhile, for the first time, support for a potential Sarah Palin candidacy shrank.

Nineteen percent of self-identified Republican adults nationwide chose Huckabee, who led a crowded slate of potential candidates. Mitt Romney came in second at 15%, followed by Palin (12%), Newt Gingrich (10%), Ron Paul (6%), and Michele Bachmann (5%).

In addition, 4% of respondents said Mitch Daniels was their first choice, while 3% backed Tim Pawlenty, and 2% chose Haley Barbour, Rick Santorum, Jon Huntsman, and Gary Johnson. Donald Trump garnered 1%.

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Barack Obama

Gallup: 47% Support U.S. Involvement In Libya, Lowest For Any Recent Campaign

Jon Terbush | March 24, 2011, 2:18PM

President Barack Obama

Just 47% of Americans approve of the U.S. intervention in Libya, the lowest level of support for an American military campaign in at least 30 years, according to a Gallup poll of adults nationwide released this week.

In addition, 37% of respondents said they disapproved of the military intervention in Libya.

This marks the first time that Gallup has not found a majority of Americans initially approving of a president's use of military force in a foreign country, a data set that dates back to 1983, when President Reagan sent troops into Grenada.

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Health Care

Poll: Strong Partisan Divide In Support For Health Care Law

Jon Terbush | March 21, 2011, 5:48PM

Demonstrators rally outside of the U.S. Capitol Building.

Exactly one year after Congress passed the landmark health care law, a new Gallup poll out today shows that Americans opinions' of the law are split -- and split along party lines.

By and large, Democrats said they think it was a good thing that the law -- which was pushed by Democrats and signed into law by a Democratic president -- was passed. Republicans, meanwhile, said largely the opposite. Moreover, public opinion has barely budged since the law was signed last year, meaning it remains a highly polarizing issue just ahead of next year's presidential election.

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Muslims

Gallup Poll: Barely Half Of Americans Think American Muslims Support the U.S.

Jon Terbush | March 10, 2011, 2:27PM

Protesters against a proposed community center and mosque near ground zero called Cordoba House.

Not only are Muslims being viewed with a skeptical eye in Congress, but adults nationwide appear to be wary of fellow Americans who are Muslim, according to a new Gallup poll.

The results offer a surprising view of just how suspicious Americans are of not only Islam in general, but of Muslims living within the United States. The poll was released the same day that House hearings on the radicalization of American Muslims, led by Rep. Peter King (R-NY) got off to a highly emotional start.

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Rasmussen

Rasmussen Poll On Gov't Shutdown Shows Inverse Of Gallup Findings

Jon Terbush | February 28, 2011, 12:57PM

According to one poll, six in ten Americans want a budget compromise to prevent a government shutdown. According to another survey 60% want a government shutdown to get to a budget compromise. Wait, what?

Yes, two polls in the past week have shown apparently opposite results on how Americans feel about a looming government shutdown, should Congress not pass a budget by the end of the week. So why the sharp discrepancy?

The answer, as is so often the case, is in the framing.

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Gallup

Americans Quicker To Embrace 'Conservative' Than 'Liberal' Tag

Jon Terbush | February 25, 2011, 4:58PM

Liberal is a four letter word.

Citing polling data culled from a year of nationwide surveys, Gallup found that there are more self-identified conservatives than liberals in every single state in America. Even in deep blue Rhode Island, where 29.3% called themselves liberals, even more people, 29.9%, identified as conservative.

That does not mean that that there are more Republicans than Democrats. but it does show that the conservative brand has a far more positive connotation than liberal does. Republicans -- especially those with presidential aspirations -- are quick to tout their conservatism at events like CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Committee. Democrats, meanwhile, are hardly rushing to form LPAC.

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2012 Presidential Primaries

Gallup Poll: Huckabee, Palin, Romney Tied Atop 2012 GOP Field

Jon Terbush | February 24, 2011, 8:00AM

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-M), former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR), former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK)

One year out from the first primary in the 2012 season, a Gallup poll shows Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin in a virtual dead heat to claim the Republican Party's presidential nomination.

Huckabee held a marginal lead in the poll, topping the field at 18%, with Palin and Romney close on his heels at 16% each. Given the poll's 3% margin of error, the candidates are statistically tied at the front of the GOP pack.

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Barack Obama

Obama's Approval Drops In All States -- But Stays Strong Where It Counts

Jon Terbush | February 23, 2011, 10:50AM

President Barack Obama

The honeymoon is over for President Obama, as a Gallup poll released this morning shows that his approval rating fell in all 50 states over his second year in office when compared to the first one. Yet a closer look at the results reveals that Obama isn't really in such a dire position as that statistic alone makes it seem.

Yes, Obama's average approval rating was lower in every state last year than it was the year before. But that mainly reflects his approval rating having leveled off after the post-inaugural highs he enjoyed at the start of 2009.

At the time of his inauguration, Obama boasted a sparkling 66% approval rating nationwide, according to Gallup. Almost without exception, Gallup has found presidential approval ratings dipping after an inauguration, as presidents moved from campaigning to governing. Soon after his inauguration, Ronald Reagan's approval shot up to nearly 70%; at the end of year two, it was hovering around 40%.

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Pres '12

Poll: Obama Running Dead Even With Generic GOP Challenger

Jon Terbush | February 17, 2011, 11:15AM

President Barack Obama

In another warning sign for President Obama's reelection hopes, a Gallup poll of registered voters shows him tied with a generic Republican challenger in a hypothetical 2012 match-up. It's the second poll in as many days to show Obama running even with an unnamed GOP challenger.

In the poll, 45% of respondents said they would likely vote for Obama in 2012, while the same percentage said they'd probably vote for a Republican challenger. Just yesterday, a PPP poll showed Obama tied with a generic GOP candidate at 47% -- but it also found an unnamed "moderate Republican" leading Obama 46% to 44%.

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Polls

Gallup Poll: GOP Viewed Favorably For First Time Since 2005

Jon Terbush | January 27, 2011, 10:06AM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

In July 2005, Lance Armstrong won his seventh consecutive Tour de France, Karl Rove's involvement in Plamegate came to light, and William Rehnquist was still the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. And until now, that month was also the last time that Americans held a net favorable opinion of the Republican Party, according to Gallup.

In a Gallup poll released today, more Americans viewed the GOP favorably than unfavorably for the first time in five and a half years. In the poll, 47% of respondents said they had a favorable impression of the party in general, versus 43% who had an unfavorable image of the party.

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Sarah Palin

Gallup Poll: Palin's Unfavorability Rating Hits All-Time High

Jon Terbush | January 19, 2011, 9:16AM

Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK)

Sarah Palin has yet to decide if she will run for President, but a USA Today/Gallup poll released Tuesday may give her some pause, as it finds that her popularity nationwide has sunk to a record low.

In the poll, 38% of respondents said they viewed Palin favorably, while 53% said they viewed her unfavorably. That represents the worst favorability rating Palin has posted in the Gallup poll since John McCain put her on the national stage in 2008 when he named her as his running mate.

In the last Gallup poll, from November 2010, Palin's unfavorability rate was 52%, compared to 40% favorable.

The 53% of respondents who now say they view her unfavorably is on par with the 54% of respondents who said they viewed former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi unfavorably. Pelosi just presided over the House Dems' loss of 63 seats.

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Barack Obama

He's Back? Obama's Approval Rating Surges In Recent Polls

Jon Terbush | January 14, 2011, 12:20PM

President Barack Obama (D)

Just two months removed from a midterm shellacking that saw the GOP win a whopping 63 seats in the House, President Obama's approval rating has suddenly spiked in recent polls, a change so significant that for the first time in eight months the President has a net positive approval rating in the TPM Poll Average.

In the current TPM Poll Average, Obama posts an approval rating of 47.9% compared to a disapproval rating of 47.3%. It marks the first time Obama has notched a net positive in the TPM average since May 18, when that split was 47.7% to 47.6%.

Virtually every pollster has tracked at least a nominal improvement in the President's approval rating over the last month or so, including a 13-point net approval swing in the latest Marist poll. And while it would be mere speculation to cite the surge as evidence that Obama has completely regained his mojo and that his approval will keep climbing, the turnaround is striking considering his standing as 2010 drew to a close.

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Democrats

Gallup: Only 31% Say They're Dems -- Tied For Lowest Level In 22 Years

Jon Terbush | January 6, 2011, 8:38AM

The percentage of Americans who identify themselves as Democrats fell to 31% in 2010, matching the lowest level in at least the last 22 years, according to Gallup.

That finding, based on an aggregation of 21 surveys of more than 25,000 adults conducted by Gallup and Gallup/USAToday over the past year, matches the low water mark previously recorded by Gallup in 2003, 1995, and 1991. It's also down five points from the 22-year high of 36% of Americans who identified as Democrats just two years ago.

That speed of that five-point drop is almost without precedent in the Gallup average. In releasing the findings, Gallup noted:

While there is usually some year-to-year variation in party identification at the aggregate level, the changes are typically not large. Thus, the five-point drop in Democratic identification over the past two years, from the party's 22-year high of 36% (tying the 1988 figure) to its 22-year low of 31%, is notable.

Gallup has been releasing a yearly aggregate since 1988.

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Barack Obama

Gallup Poll: Obama Job Approval Hits 50% For First Time Since May

Jon Terbush | January 4, 2011, 3:04AM

Pres. Barack Obama (D)

It's a far cry from the near 70% approval rating Obama enjoyed at the start of his presidency, but for the first time since last May, half of the country approves of of how he's doing as president, according to Gallup.

In the latest Gallup poll, 50% of respondents said they approved of Obama's job performance, versus 43% who said they disapproved. In results released yesterday, that split was a tad better for Obama, 50%-42%. Those findings mark the first time Obama's approval has reached the symbolic 50% mark in Gallup's poll since the end of May 2010.

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Polls

Poll: Americans' Satisfaction Sinks to Lowest Level Of The Year

Jon Terbush | December 20, 2010, 11:26AM

Just 17% of Americans say they are satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S., according to a Gallup poll released today. It is the lowest level recorded by Gallup in a year marked by tepid economic recovery and midterm elections that resulted in Democrats losing 63 House seats.

Eighty-one percent of those surveyed said they were dissatisfied with the way things were doing, also a yearly high. Two percent had no opinion.

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Congress

Congressional Approval Rating Hits Lowest Level Ever in Gallup Poll

Jon Terbush | December 15, 2010, 10:58AM

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Barely one in 10 Americans approve of how Congress is handling its job, according to a Gallup poll released today. Just 13% of those surveyed said they approved of the current Congress, the lowest approval rating Gallup has ever recorded. Additionally, 83% percent of those surveyed assessed Congress negatively, also a Gallup poll record.

Gallup has been tracking Congressional approval ratings since 1974. The previous record low of 14% came in July 2008, with the economy floundering and gas prices at a record high of over $4 per gallon.

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Bush Tax Cuts

Do Americans Support Obama's Tax Cuts Deal? Depends How You Ask

Jon Terbush | December 13, 2010, 8:37AM

President Barack Obama

Two-thirds of Americans want the Bush tax cuts for the nation's wealthiest to expire at the end of the year, according to one recent poll. But in another poll, two-thirds of Americans want to extend all of the Bush tax cuts -- including those for the country's top earners.

How can that be possible? The answer is all in the poll question's phrasing.

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Barack Obama

Approval By Numbers: How Obama Compares To Past Presidents

Jon Terbush | December 9, 2010, 8:30AM

TPM Illustration

By some measures, it's been a rough first two years in office for President Obama, as the soaring rhetoric of his campaign speeches has given way to the unglamorous reality of governing. With the messy debate over health care reform and a slowly recovering economy steadily tugging his approval ratings down, it may seem like Obama is slipping toward a uniquely inglorious first term.

Yet despite all the chatter, Obama's slide in approval ratings is really nothing special.

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Bush Tax Cuts

Polls: Plurality Want Bush Tax Cuts On Wealthiest Americans To Expire

Marc Kilstein | December 1, 2010, 11:53AM

President Obama holds a bi-partisan meeting at the White House on July 27, 2010.

With the Bush tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year, Democrats and Republicans are squaring off in Washington over how best to handle the issue-- extend the middle-class tax cuts while allowing the cuts for the wealthy to expire, or extend the tax cuts for all Americans, regardless of income.

And as the divide in Washington has become more clear, two new national polls suggest the American public is also split. Both polls, however, show a plurality of Americans don't want tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans to be extended.

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Tea Party

Poll: Americans Divided On Who Should Set Policy-- Obama Or The Tea Party

Marc Kilstein | November 24, 2010, 8:33AM

A Tea Party rally in Michigan.

Americans can't agree on who they want to "have the most influence on government policy next year," according to a newly released USA Today/Gallup poll. No surprise there. What may come as a surprise, however, is that at the top of the poll, the split is between respondents who want President Obama to set policy, and those who want Tea Partiers to take the lead in Washington.

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Lame duck sesion

Poll: Americans See Tax Issues As Top Priority For Lame-Duck Congress

Marc Kilstein | November 23, 2010, 3:37PM

Above all else, Americans are hoping for the lame-duck Congress to sort out some tax issues, according to a newly released USA Today/Gallup poll.

The latest survey asked respondents to rate the importance of six different issues that are being considered by Congress during its lame-duck session. The issues were:

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Bipartisanship

USA Today/Gallup Poll: Dems Favor Compromise, GOPers Prefer Holding Firm To Beliefs

Marc Kilstein | November 10, 2010, 10:11AM

President Obama speaks at a bipartisan White House gathering with Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) in the background.

There's a partisan divide over the issue of political compromise versus ideological steadfastness, according to a newly released USA Today/Gallup poll.

When asked about the "best approach for political leaders to follow in Washington," 41% of Republican respondents maintain that "it is more important for political leaders to stick to their beliefs even if little gets done," while only 18% of Democratic respondents express the same sentiment. This contention is put in opposition to the claim that "it is more important for political leaders to compromise in order to get things done," which 59% of Democrats support versus only 32% of Republicans.

Overall, the findings suggest Americans generally prefer their political leaders to compromise (47%) rather than sticking to their beliefs (27%).

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Early Voting

Gallup Poll: Early Voting High Out West And Among Older Voters, But Little Partisan Implications

Marc Kilstein | October 27, 2010, 1:29PM

Voters waiting in line to vote early

While the midterm election date is set for Tuesday, many Americans have already cast their votes through absentee and early-voting procedures. New numbers from a USA Today/Gallup poll suggest early voting is highest among older Americans and people living out West. So which party does this poll suggest is faring better thus far?

Eh, Republicans by a bit, but the advantage isn't all that telling.

As the pollster puts it, "While interested observers have been poring over reports of early voting in an attempt to get a handle on the direction of the election, Gallup's current data do not show much of a difference in early voting by party affiliation." The numbers are as follows: 13% of self-identified Republicans have already voted, with 15% more planning to vote before election day, while 9% of Democrats have already voted, with 14% more planning to vote prior to Tuesday. The poll finds that 9% of independents have already voted and 19% more plan to vote between now and November 2nd.

While these numbers may not suggest a whole lot about how the election will play out, some numbers from the poll do stand out--as 27% of registered voters indicated they either have already voted or plan to before election day, 59% of that total comes from the West and 36% is from voters over 65 years old. In the East, only 6% of respondents stated they have or will make use of early voting procedures, and in the 18-29 age range, 16% of those polled stated they have or intend to vote early. Twenty-eight percent of the young age range said they do not plan to vote or don't know whether or not they will, while only 6% of respondents over 65 expressed the same sentiment.

The pollster concludes, "The finding that older voters have a higher propensity to vote early is not a new one, but confirms that many senior citizens, like residents in the West, are by this point in the election cycle essentially 'out of the game' as far as the campaigning is concerned. A disproportionately high number of younger registered voters volunteer that they will not end up voting this year, also confirming what is well-known in American politics -- that young voters are as a rule not highly involved in the election process."

The results are based on a question included in an October 21-24 survey among 1364 registered voters. Last week, we reported on early voting numbers provided by partisan voter registrations.

2010 elections

Gallup Poll: 'U.S. Satisfaction' At Historic Low For Midterm Election Year

Marc Kilstein | October 20, 2010, 8:08AM

It may come as no surprise to hear that, according to a newly released poll, Americans are overwhelmingly "dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time." What may be a surprise is that the sheer number of dissatisfied Americans is at a near-historic low.

Gallup has released a new poll measuring current American "satisfaction." According to the survey, just 21% of Americans answered affirmatively when asked, "In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time?" If that number holds for two weeks, it would be the lowest level of American satisfaction that Gallup has registered at the time of a midterm election in more than 30 years of tracking the question.

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2010 elections

Gallup Poll: Public Trust In Legislative Branch At All-Time Low

Marc Kilstein | September 24, 2010, 6:11PM

U.S. Senate

As midterm elections loom, it's no secret that a great number of Americans are unhappy with Congress. But do they trust their representatives?

According to at least one new poll, the answer is an emphatic "no".

A recent Gallup survey asked respondents how much trust and confidence they have in the legislative branch of government. The results were a historical low for the polling firm. Only 36% of Americans indicated they have either a great deal or fair amount of trust and confidence in the branch, down from the previous all-time low of 45% in September 2009. The question has been posed annually by the pollster since 2001, and sporadic results from the 1990s and 1970s also exist.

To put this in context of past midterm election years: 2006 saw 56% of Americans saying they trusted the legislative branch, 2002 had 67% expressing that sentiment, and in 1998, 61% said they trusted it. At the time of the 1974 midterm elections, the poll yielded a 68% level of trust from the public.

As Gallup notes, "the substantial drop in Americans' trust in the legislative branch of government reflects the same underlying attitudes that have resulted in low congressional job approval ratings and a number of other indicators underscoring the public's disenchantment with its elected representatives."

The pollster continues that "the overall record-low levels of trust in the legislative branch undergird the expectation that voters this fall may be attempting to express their frustrations with Congress by voting out incumbents and/or members of the incumbent party."

Gallup also asked respondents to indicate whether have trust in the executive and the judicial branches of government. The results show noteworthy declines from the amount of trust registered this time last year -- 49% of those polled said they have a great deal or fair amount of trust in the executive branch, compared to 61% last year, while 66% said they trusted the judicial branch, versus 76% in 2009.

The TPM Poll Average for US Congressional Approval reiterates these latest findings. Currently, disapproval is at 72.2%, while approval is only at 22.0%. For the US Congressional Generic ballot, the TPM Poll Average finds Republicans leading Democrats 46.8%-43.1%.

2010 elections

Dems Pull Ahead Of GOP By One In Gallup's New Congressional Generic Ballot

Marc Kilstein | September 20, 2010, 6:17PM

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Rep. Chris Van Hollen, (D-MD) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. George Miller (D-CA), and Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC)

According to the latest Gallup survey of registered voters, Democrats are now ahead of Republicans on the generic congressional ballot question, with a 46%-45% lead.

Three weeks ago, Gallup reported that the GOP held a 10-point lead in congressional generic polling, marking the highest lead for the party ever registered by Gallup. A week later, the Republicans' Gallup-induced confidence dissipated, as the firm released a poll that countered the previous week's numbers. With that survey's 46%-46% tie, Democrats appeared to be right back in the game. That was until the next week's Gallup poll found Republicans back on top, 48%-43%.

So what does the release of this week's Gallup congressional generic polling numbers tell us about the midterm elections?

Uh, be wary of congressional generic polling?

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2010 elections

The Enthusiasm Gap: How Dispassionate Dems And Fired-Up GOPers Are Defining 2010

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 13, 2010, 8:34AM

Here are two words you're going to hear a lot of in the next couple months: voter enthusiasm. Simply put, polls show Republican voters are super-extra-with-sugar-on-top excited to cast their protest votes against President Obama and his socialist cronies this November while Democrats are -- to put it mildly -- a lot less jazzed about casting a vote for the team currently in charge.

The split has come to define the polling of the cycle. Generic ballot polling of registered voters -- that is, everyone who could vote on election day -- has shown the electorate to be essentially split, with half favoring Democratic control of Congress and half welcoming the reign of Speaker Boehner. When likely voters (the group who theoretically will turn out in the end) are asked how they're going to vote, Republicans leap out to a big lead.

For example, in a recent NBC/WSJ poll, the parties were split at 43% support when all adults surveyed were asked who they'd rather see in control of Congress next year. But when likely voters were asked the same question, the GOP took a nine-point lead. Polling from other firms this year has shown a similar result.

"We have two ways of looking at the enthusiasm gap: measuring whether voters are very, somewhat, or not at all excited about voting this fall, and then a step beyond that looking at how they voted for President in 2008," Public Policy Polling's Tom Jensen told me when I asked him to explain how screenings of likely voters work. "We're consistently finding that very excited voters are going strongly toward the GOP while somewhat and not at all excited voters are supporting Democrats."

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2010 elections

Narrative-Busting New Gallup Poll Excites Dems Briefly

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 7, 2010, 6:25PM

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), President Obama, and Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

A week after leading the charge of polls showing the GOP with a huge lead in generic congressional ballot polls, Gallup is out with new numbers today that dump a bucket of cold water on that very idea.

According to the latest Gallup survey of registered voters, Republicans and Democrats are tied on the congressional ballot question with each drawing 46% of the vote. Last week's poll showed the GOP ahead by 10, leading 51-41.

Not surprisingly, Republicans flooded reporters' inboxes with the results of last week's Gallup poll. Same story for coverage of today's big national polls from ABC News/Washington Post and NBC News/Wall Street Journal, both of which showed Republicans with big leads among likely voters. Tonight, it's the Democrats' turn to hit the "fwd" button, blanketing the fourth estate with links to the Gallup poll ostensibly bursting the "Democratic strategy = rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic" narrative.

How long will the euphoria last for Democrats?

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2010 elections

More Polls Show GOP Surging Toward November

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 7, 2010, 1:56PM

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)

A new round of polls this morning confirms what most analysts have been saying for a couple weeks now: thanks to their advantage in voter enthusiasm, Republicans are poised to post big gains in the 2010 elections this November.

Last week the big news was the Gallup poll, which showed the GOP with its largest lead in the the history of the firm's generic ballot polling. In that poll, the GOP led Democrats 51-41. The new polls out today confirm that Gallup's numbers are not a fluke.

An ABC News/Washington Post survey released this morning shows Republicans up 13 points in the generic ballot question, leading Democrats 53-40 among likely voters. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll also out this morning shows Republicans ahead 49-40 among likely voters.

As has been the case in past polling, the parties are polling basically even when all adults are asked who they'd rather see in charge of Congress. In the NBC/WSJ poll, the parties were split at 43% support when all adults surveyed were asked who they'd rather see in control of Congress next year. But when likely voters were asked the same question, the GOP took the big nine-point lead. Polling from other firms this year has shown a similar result.

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2010 elections

Gallup: Republican Congressional Ballot Lead Highest Ever

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 30, 2010, 5:24PM

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Gallup is reporting that the GOP lead in congressional generic polling is now 10 points -- the largest lead for the party in the storied polling firm's history. The poll asks respondents which party they would prefer to see in control of Congress. Republicans now lead Gallup's generic ballot 51-41.

Gallup attributes the double-digit Republican lead in its latest polling to the massive GOP advantage in voter enthusiasm, a story we've been talking about all year. The newest Gallup numbers show Republicans with a staggering 25% advantage in voter enthusiasm. What does that mean in real terms? "Republicans are now twice as likely as Democrats to be 'very' enthusiastic about voting," the pollster writes.

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