Congressional Public Approval

What percentage of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing?

Updated MonthlyAs of 2024-11-01Medium data quality

Historical Trend

Data sourced from official government APIs

What It Measures

The percentage of Americans who approve of the way Congress is handling its job, based on major polling organizations including Gallup, Pew Research Center, and RealClearPolitics aggregate. Tracks both approval and explicit disapproval rates.

Why It Matters

Congressional approval is an indicator of perceived institutional legitimacy. Persistently low approval correlates with reduced public confidence in democratic institutions, lower civic participation, and potential for anti-democratic sentiment. Context matters — approval often moves with economic conditions and media events.

Data Caveats

Survey respondents evaluate Congress generically even when they personally approve of their own representative.
This "approval paradox" means Congress can show low generic approval while individual members retain high local approval.
Poll aggregates mask sampling methodology differences across organizations.

Drill-Down Options

Approval vs. disapproval split
By political affiliation
Senate vs. House separately
Historical average comparison

Suggested Dashboard Layout

Example Visualization

Long-run approval/disapproval area chart. Monthly moving average overlay. Scatter plot of approval vs. GDP growth. Comparison to presidential approval.

Suggested Chart Types

Line ChartArea Chart

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