Just 8% Of Americans Trust Congress
A new Gallup poll shows that Members of Congress are viewed as being less trustworthy than pretty much any other profession in the country:
Jonathan Capehart seems to find some significance in the fact that the number of people who say they trust Congress dropped from 10% to 8% in just two weeks based on the poll that came out last month:
Capehart wonders if the budget bill has something to do with the drop. However, given that the Margin of Error was +/- 4 points in both polls the reality is that the difference between the two is statistically insignificant. In any case, it’s rather obvious that very few people trust Congress or its members, and it’s easy to understand why.
My questions are who are this 8% and what would it take for the scales to fall from their eyes?
This is what “statistically insignificant” means. Did 2% of the population change their minds about Congress? Did 5% change their minds about clergy, or pharmacists? No, or rather, if they did, this tool wouldn’t be able to detect it.
I trust them implicitly…to do the bidding of the wealthy…to bow to the altar of cash…no matter the cost to the Republic.
@Dave Schuler: I’m more interested in what it would take for that 92% to actually stop re-electing the same dirtbags over and over…
I’d love to see how different subgroups responded to the question. There’s some polling term of art for those breakdowns I don’t remember. Is more data available somewhere?
What was the name of that 15% rule? That you could get 15% to believe anything? Amazing that Congress has broken through.
… of course, I’m not sure Congress cares.
@john personna:
Right…45% of America believes in ghosts…but not in Congress.
@C. Clavin:
And according to a Roper poll conducted in 2002, 20% of Americans believe in alien abduction.
@CSK:
Several commenters here are proof-positive of that.
Crosstabs? Anyone?
Of course, people’s answers change if you ask “What do you think of YOUR congressman?” or “What do you think of YOUR lawyer?” Although, AFAIK, people never trust a car salesman.
@JWH:
Go check Gallup. Disapproval of one’s own congressman is at an all-time high, too.
legion asks a good question. I think it’s because they don’t really have much choice. Hereabouts at any rate many candidates run in fact or in effect unopposed.
No wonder Republicans were anxious to make a budget deal with Democrats.