Shutdown No Help To Congress Approval

The statement above by ex-congressman Barney Frank is both humorous and true. While there is a significant and still growing acceptance of the LGBT community, the same cannot be said of Congress. Approval of Congress has been extremely low for quite a while now, and the shutdown of the federal government has not helped at all.

According to the September Gallup Poll, it was starting to look like the approval rating for Congress might be creeping upward finally. That poll showed a 19% approval rating (including 18% from Republicans, 19% from Independents, and 20% from Democrats). While very low, those numbers look pretty good when compared to other recent numbers for Congress.

But then the dysfunctional Congress shut down the federal government, and a new Gallup Poll (taken between October 3rd and 6th of 1,028 nationwide adults, with a 4 point margin of error) showed an 8 point drop in approval (to 11% -- only one point above the poll's all-time low for Congress). And all political persuasions showed a drop in congressional approval (3 points for Republicans, 6 points for Independents, and 15 points for Democrats).

This has also resulted in a yearly average for congressional approval of 15% -- the lowest yearly average the Gallup Poll has shown for Congress since they have been polling on them.