In new polling from YouGov conducted in association with The Economist, a solid majority of registered voters disapproved of Republicans in Congress, who hold control of the House but remain in the minority in the Senate. The question, as presented to poll participants, seemed to include both chambers, although “Congress” can sometimes refer to just the U.S. House of Representatives.
A full 54 percent of registered voters expressed disapproval amid actions from Republicans in power including hearings on partisan grievances and legislative proposals essentially doomed from the start, like a bill that would broadly restrict government personnel from getting in touch with outside organizations like Twitter about content hosted there. Democrats have expressed concern about that proposal, should it be implemented, impacting the ability to obtain and share information about foreign disinformation campaigns and domestic terrorism. In the polling, only 42 percent of registered voters approved of the Congressional Republicans, and the rest said they didn’t know. Among independents, Republicans fared much more poorly, with only 29 percent favoring them.
Democrats also were generally disfavored, suggesting general malaise. Among registered voters, 52 percent expressed a favorable view, and 44 percent shared an unfavorable one. (In some contexts, “approval” is a concept in polling distinct from the level of favorable opinion for a given figure or group and refers instead to opinions on job performance.) On favorability, Biden got 48 percent of registered voters in the YouGov polling in his corner, with 51 percent expressing an unfavorable opinion. Biden has indicated he is running for another term, although he hasn’t yet turned to officially campaigning, unlike Trump’s team. This polling was conducted April 8 through April 11. Read more here.
