Poll: Congress job approval up 10 percentage points since December

Congress' job approval increased by 10 percentage points from December to January and marks the highest congressional approval rating since early in the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new Gallup poll.

The survey found that 25% of adults approved of the job Congress is doing, compared to 15% in December.

Thirty percent of Democrats surveyed approved of Congress' handling of its job. Twenty-five percent of independents and only 17% of Republicans approved.

The poll also showed that 44% of those surveyed had a favorable opinion of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) up from 39% in February 2020, right before the coronavirus pandemic essentially shut down the U.S.

Eighty-one percent of Democrats, 38% of independents and 7% of Republicans said they have a favorable opinion of Pelosi.

Twenty-two percent of respondents had a favorable view of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's job performance. He lost significant support from fellow Republicans over the past year, as only 42% surveyed said they have favorable views of the Kentucky lawmaker, compared to 69% in February 2020.

Nineteen percent of independents and 11% of Democrats said they had a favorable opinion of McConnell.

Gallup surveyed 1,023 adults from Jan. 4-15. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The period includes the Jan. 6 mob invasion of the U.S. Capitol Building that some Democrats accused then-President Trump and fellow Republicans of inciting. Within days of the riot, the Democrat-controlled House voted in favor of impeaching Trump in connection with the deadly incident. The incident, vote and recriminations have further divided the parties on Capitol Hill.