Just over a third of Americans, about 35%, approve of the job Congress is doing, according to a nationwide survey from Gallup.
The approval rate for the legislature is ten points higher than it was in January, and is the highest approval rating for Congress since early 2009 when it was at 39%.
Participants were asked to give their rating between Feb. 3 and Feb. 18, while former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial was happening in the Senate. Trump was acquitted on Feb. 13.
The increase in approval appears to come mostly among participants who identify as Democrats. This group gave Congress an approval rating of just 11% in December. In February, that increased to 61% approval.
Approval ratings among participants who identify as independents increased from 16% in December to 33% in February.
Meanwhile, Republican participants’ approval rating went from 18% in December to just 8% in February.
Gallup notes there was a similar jump in Congressional approval ratings in 2017, up to 28%, when Trump became president and the GOP controlled both the House and Senate.
“Republicans' approval of Congress more than doubled from 20% in January (2017) to 50% in February (2017), a level of GOP support for the legislative branch not seen since,” the reportnotes.
They say Republican support for Congress now has fallen to a level similar to that of Democrats in 2017.
Gallup talked to more than 1,000 American adults for this latest survey.
