Americans’ disapproval of Congress has matched an all-time high, a new poll from Gallup finds, as the beleaguered institution grapples with scandals, expulsions and its role as a co-equal, independent branch of Congress.
The survey released Wednesday shows that only 10 percent of Americans approve of Congress, just barely above 2013’s all-time low of 9 percent. In contrast, 86 percent of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing — matching the historic high in the over 50 years Gallup has been asking Americans for their opinions on the legislature.
The last time 86 percent of Americans disapproved of Congress was in 2015.
The poll shows much of the disapproval likely stems from repeated government shutdowns, including the ongoing partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. Approval ratings for Congress fell sharply during the October shutdown and have not recovered since.
However, Congress has broadly grappled with other challenges, including concerns over the war in Iran, sexual assault allegations and high-profile ethics investigations against multiple members that may also be impacting Americans’ views of Capitol Hill.
Approval ratings, which hovered around 17 percent after President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, briefly peaked at 31 percent in March last year.
Gallup’s poll also shows that those who lean or identify as Republican are leading the recent decline in approval ratings.
Republicans, who previously offered a 63 percent approval rating shortly after Trump was inaugurated, now offer the GOP-led Congress barely 20 percent approval rating.
The Gallup poll was conducted via telephone from April 1 through April 15, 2026, with a sample of 1,001 adults. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
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