IU Study Illustrates Low Regard For Congress
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA survey conducted by the Indiana University Center on Representative Government shows national academic experts’ already low opinion of Congress has slipped even lower. The grade awarded to Congress in 2016 is a D, down from a C- in 2015.
The downward trend could continue. More than half the responses to the question: "overall, do you see signs from this past year that Congress will be working better in the future?" replied "things will get worse." On the other hand, 12 percent responded with "things will get better."
The highest mark among all questions came from the question "Do legislators make a good effort to be accessible to their constituents?" Members of Congress received an average grade of "B."
The center has conducted the study 11 years. The survey area the drew among the lowest grade was a "D-" response to the question "How well does the media coverage of Congress contribute to the public’s understanding of Congress?"
Thirty-three academic experts on Congress participated in the online study that was conducted in December and January. You can connect to more about the results by clicking here.