Americans see Dems as more effective legislators than GOP while in majority: poll

A new Monmouth University poll released Wednesday found that Americans believe Democrats are more successful at passing legislation when they control the House of Representatives than Republicans.

Overall, 53% of Americans surveyed in a Monmouth University Polling Institute believe that Democrats have been generally successful at passing legislation when they lead the House, compared to 39% that say they have been unsuccessful.

In contrast, 28% of Americans say House Republicans are generally successful at passing legislation when they control the House. A further 65% believe they have been unsuccessful.

Broken down by party, 73% of Democrats say their party is generally successful at passing bills, with 21% saying the same about House Republicans. However, 41% of Republicans believe that their party is generally successful at passing legislation, while 40% say the same about House Democrats.

Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute said, "[w]e've gone from one of the most productive to one of the least productive Congresses over the course of [President] Biden’s time in office."

"Most Americans have noticed the disparity, but this metric does not appear to have much impact on their overall opinion. Views of Congress have remained largely negative over the past three years regardless of which party controls the House," he added.

Congress, moreover, has an approval rating of 14% among Americans, while 79% disapprove of it. The poll was conducted amid the passage of the foreign aid bills for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. A total of 43% of Americans favor the foreign aid bills, compared to 35% who are opposed and 21% who have no opinion.

Conducted from April 18-22, 2024, the survey question 808 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of +/- 4.1%.