Gallup: Nearly Half of U.S. Sees Congress as “Corrupt”

Runaway earmark spending and tax code complexity are taking on toll on the GOP majority. The latest from the Gallup News Service:

PRINCETON, NJ — A recent USA Today/Gallup poll finds that the percentage of Americans who say that most members of Congress are corrupt has increased significantly from the beginning of this year, and is now at the point at which slightly fewer than half of Americans believe most members are corrupt. This is similar to what Gallup measured just prior to the 1994 elections. At the same time, relatively few Americans think their own member is corrupt. The American public is more likely to trust the Democrats in Congress — rather than the Republicans — to handle the issue of corruption, although the vast majority of Americans believe corruption in Washington involves both parties equally.

An April 28-30, 2006 USA Today/Gallup poll finds that Americans are divided as to whether most members of Congress are corrupt (47%) or not corrupt (46%). The percentage saying most members of Congress are corrupt is up significantly since January, when 38% said most members were corrupt and 55% said most were not. The current results are at roughly the same level Gallup measured in 1994, just before the Democrats lost their 40-year hold on party control of the House of Representatives.