Congressional approval drops to 9 percent, lowest ever

By Lisa Mascaro, Tribune Washington Bureau

Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013 | 7:47 a.m.

WASHINGTON — Just when it seemed Americans’ approval of Congress could not drop any lower, it did — to 9 percent, the lowest in Gallup’s history of posing the question, the organization said Tuesday.

Positive attitudes about Congress have been hovering in the low double digits for weeks — and, according to one survey, the body now ranks below root canals, cockroaches and traffic jams.

But last month’s government shutdown appeared to show there is no bottom to Americans’ displeasure with the way Congress is doing its job.

The approval rating for the House and Senate fell from 19 percent in September to 11 percent in October, as the shutdown was underway.

By this month’s survey, conducted Nov. 7 through 10, lawmakers saw the institution’s popularity dip to 9 percent.

“Although the shutdown is now history, Americans’ views of Congress have not recovered,” Gallup wrote.

The single-digit tally was the lowest Gallup has recorded in its 39 years. The previous low, registered twice in 2012, was 10 percent, Gallup said.