What Americans think about Congress (it's not great!)

Today, we’re spotlighting the May 22 - 26, 2026 Economist/YouGov Poll.

Welcome to YouGov’s newsletter The Surveyor, with new polling data, insights, and charts on politics, life, and other topical issues — from our U.S. News team.

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Previously we shared findings about Donald Trump’s approval rating from the May 22 - 26, 2026 Economist/YouGov Poll. Also in this poll are additional findings:

• Most Americans think congressional corruption is widespread

• Few Americans approve of how Congress is handling executive oversight

Plus polling on the 2026 elections, parties in Congress, Trump’s primary endorsements, a fund to pay people who claim to be victims of the federal government, Trump’s income taxes, federal spending, and climate change.

Corruption in government

A majority (62%) of Americans strongly or somewhat disapprove of the way that Congress is handling its job, while only 16% approve, according to this week’s Economist / YouGov Poll. Disapproval of Congress is especially high among the 41% of Americans who believe that most members of Congress are corrupt. Most Americans do not think members of Congress should be allowed to trade individual stocks, and that view also is more common among those who see congressional corruption as widespread.

Disapproval of Congress is less widespread among Republicans — whose party controls a majority of seats in both the House and the Senate — than among Democrats and Independents. Majorities of Democrats (73%) and Independents (65%) disapprove of Congress. Only 11% of Democrats and 8% of Independents approve. Republicans’ views are more split, though they are still more likely to disapprove of Congress than to approve of it (47% vs. 31%). Among Republicans, those who identify as MAGA supporters are much more likely to approve of Congress than are those who do not consider themselves to be MAGA supporters (39% vs. 17%).

One possible reason for disapproval of Congress is viewing it as corrupt. 41% of Americans think that more than half of members of Congress are corrupt while a further 33% think that many but less than half are corrupt. Only 5% of Americans think that almost none of Congress is corrupt.

The shares of Republicans and Democrats who say congressional corruption is common are comparable. A little more than one-third of each group say that most of Congress is corrupt, while about one-third of each say that many members are corrupt. Independents are more likely to see corruption as a widespread issue: About one-half (49%) say that most members of Congress are corrupt.

There’s a strong link between beliefs about corruption in Congress and disapproval of the way Congress is handling its job. Three-quarters (75%) of Americans who say that most members of Congress are corrupt disapprove of Congress, as do 60% of those who say that many but not most members are corrupt and 46% of those who say that a few members (between 5% and 20%) are corrupt.

One proposal that could allay some fears about congressional corruption is disallowing members from trading stocks. Three-quarters (76%) of Americans say that members of Congress and other elected officials should not be allowed to buy and sell individual stocks. Only 6% say they should be allowed. Majorities of Democrats (80%), Independents (72%), and Republicans (77%) say that elected officials should not be allowed to trade stocks.

Americans who believe corruption is widespread in Congress are more likely to say that stock trading should not be allowed. Disallowing congressional stock trading draws support from majorities of Americans who believe most (80%), many but not most (75%), or a few (73%) members of Congress are corrupt.

This question was part of an experiment in which respondents were randomly assigned to answer one of two versions of a question about congressional stock trading. In one version, shown above, the Economist / YouGov Poll asked whether elected officials should be allowed to trade individual stocks. In the other version, the poll asked if elected officials should be banned from trading individual stocks. Respondents in the two experimental groups answer the questions in similar ways: 76% in the first group say congressional trading should not be allowed and 71% in the second group say it should be banned. The largest difference can be seen among Democrats: While 80% of Democrats say that elected officials should not be allowed to trade individual stocks, 69% say they should be banned from trading stocks. There was no equivalent gap among either Republicans or Independents.

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Parties in Congress

Far more Americans disapprove than approve of the job handling of Democrats (56% vs. 28%) and Republicans (56% vs. 30%) in Congress, according to this week’s Economist / YouGov Poll. Congressional leaders are also viewed negatively. The net favorability — the share who view very or somewhat favorably minus the share who view unfavorably — is negative for each of Chuck Schumer (-33), John Thune (-27), Hakeem Jeffries (-17), and Mike Johnson (-17).

Americans are divided on the question of what Congress should currently prioritize: 37% say it’s most important for Congress to be passing laws addressing problems facing the country, 34% say Congress should be overseeing the executive branch and holding it accountable, and 29% say it should be controlling federal spending and eliminating waste. A majority (59%) of Democrats think Congress should prioritize overseeing the executive branch. Among Republicans, the largest share (47%) say Congress should focus on controlling federal spending; only 14% say it should prioritize oversight of the executive branch.

Overall, 56% of Americans strongly or somewhat disapprove of the job Congress is doing overseeing the executive branch and holding it accountable; 22% approve. Democrats disapprove by a margin of 75% to 15%. Republicans are split: 41% approve and 40% disapprove.

More Americans think a divided federal government is better than a united one: 38% say it’s better when control of the presidency and Congress is split between Democrats and Republicans, twice as many as the 18% who say it’s better when one party controls both branches.

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Quick Takes

• Among registered voters, Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say they are more motivated than usual to vote in 2026 (60% vs. 36%)

• Among registered voters, 84% of Democrats say they will definitely vote in the November elections, compared to 73% of Republicans

• Slightly more Americans expect that after the November elections, Republicans rather than Democrats will control the House of Representatives (35% vs. 32%) and the Senate (36% vs. 29%)

• 32% of Americans say Republicans in Congress are more effective at pursuing their goals, compared to only 23% who say Democrats are

• 48% of Americans say the Republican Party is too extreme, compared to 41% who say the same about the Democratic Party

• Twice as many say it’s a bad idea than say it’s a good idea for Donald Trump to endorse MAGA candidates running in primary elections against incumbent senators (43% vs. 22%). Among Republicans, 51% say it is a good idea and 15% say it’s a bad idea

• Opposition is twice as high as support (49% vs. 24%) for paying $1.776 billion to people who claim to have been mistreated by the federal government

• Twice as many Americans say Donald Trump does not pay the amount of federal income taxes he owes as say he does pay the amount he owes (49% vs. 25%). 65% say presidents should release their tax returns for the public to see

• Majorities of Americans support increasing federal spending on Social Security (72%), Medicare (66%), and Medicaid (58%). About half (51%) support increasing federal spending on SNAP, or food stamps

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Final chart

This newsletter was written by Taylor Orth, Alexander Rossell Hayes, David Montgomery, and Carl Bialik.

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See a version of this report on the YouGov website, plus the toplines and crosstabs for the May 22 - 26, 2026 Economist/YouGov Poll

Methodology: The poll was conducted among 1,520 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of U.S. adult citizens. A random sample (stratified by gender, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration) was selected from the 2019 American Community Survey. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, geographic region, 2024 presidential vote, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. 2024 presidential vote, at time of weighting, was estimated to be 48% Harris and 50% Trump. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given around November 8, 2024, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (31% Democratic, 33% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 3.5%.

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