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Recent Public Opinion Polls on Ethics in Government
(As of Feb. 15, 2006)
Club for Growth Survey, conducted by Brasswood Research (Jan. 28-29, 2006)
- 61 percent say their opinion of lobbyists is “unfavorable.”
- 80 percent of likely voters say the “level of ethical misconduct in Congress today” is either “serious” (50 percent) or “scandalous” (30 percent).
Democracy Corps Questionnaire (Jan. 22-25, 2006)
- 83 percent believe that the current level of corruption is a serious problem—39 percent think it is a “serious” problem, 44 percent think it is a “very serious” problem.
- 63 percent are concerned about Jack Abramoff and his associations with elected leaders—29 percent are “very” concerned, 34 percent “somewhat” concerned.
- 45 percent of Americans strongly believe that the Abramoff scandal is evidence of “business as usual” in Washington.
- 81 percent are upset about the way the House Ethics Committee is operating—24 percent are “extremely” upset, 26 percent “very” upset, 31 percent “somewhat” upset.
- 68 percent would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports requiring lobbyists to publicly disclose details about meetings with Congressional members and staffers—37 percent are “much more” likely, 31 percent “somewhat more” likely.
- 65 percent would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports prohibiting staffers and members of Congress from joining a lobbying firm for ten years after leaving that position—40 percent are “much more” likely, 25 percent “somewhat more” likely.
- 72 percent would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports creating an independent, bi-partisan ethics committee to enforce rules—43 percent are “much more” likely, 29 percent “somewhat more” likely.
- 70 percent say they are more likely to support a candidate in favor of banning members of Congress and their staff from accepting privately funded trips—43 percent are “much more likely,” 29 percent “somewhat more likely.”
- 65 percent would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports banning members of Congress and their staff from receiving any gifts from lobbyists—42 percent “much more” likely, 23 percent “somewhat more” likely.
- 72 percent are more likely to support a candidate who favors limiting the amount of money members of Congress can raise and spend on their campaigns in order to limit the influence of special interests—47 percent are “much more likely,” 25 percent “somewhat more likely.”
Los AngelesTimes/Bloomberg Poll (Jan. 22-25, 2006)
- 64 percent of Americans say that ethics and honesty in Congress are “not so good/poor.”
- 72 percent say that corporate-subsidized travel by lawmakers should be prohibited.
- 65 percent think that prohibiting lobbyists from arranging fundraisers for congressional candidates would be a positive way to reduce their influence over legislators.
- 34 percent believe that existing laws limiting fundraising, gifts, and money by lobbyists to members of Congress should be “more strictly enforced.” Another 48 percent believe that “tougher” new fundraising laws are necessary.
CBS News/New York Times Poll (Jan. 20-25, 2006)
- 77 percent of registered voters believe that lobbyists bribing members is just “the way things work in Congress.”
- 57 percent think that at least half of all members of Congress accept bribes or gifts that influence their votes.
FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll (Jan. 10-11, 2006)
- 65 percent of Americans think most elected officials in Washington make policy decisions or take actions as the direct result of money they receive from major campaign contributors.
- 44 percent think their own congressional representative has taken money or things of value in return for voting a certain way.
- 44 percent say that whether or not their elected official took a campaign contribution from Jack Abramoff would be a major factor in determining their vote in the next election.
- 91 percent are concerned about corruption in Washington—60 percent are very concerned, 31 percent somewhat concerned.
CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll (Jan. 6-8, 2006)
- 96 percent of voters say that corruption in government will be an important factor in their vote in Congress this year—43 percent say it will be an “extremely important” factor, 38 percent say it will be “very important,” and 15 percent say it will be “moderately important.”
- 38 percent say that most members of Congress are corrupt.
- 53 percent consider the Abramoff case a “major scandal.”
- 40 percent feel their own lawmakers focus on special interests rather than constituents.
- 38 percent believe their representatives are out of touch with voters back home.
ABC News/Washington Post Poll (Jan. 5-8, 2006)
- 67 percent of Americans think it should be illegal for registered lobbyists to make campaign contributions to members of Congress or congressional candidates.
- 54 percent think it should be illegal for registered lobbyists to organize fundraisers on behalf of congressional candidates.
- 90 percent think it should be illegal for registered lobbyists to give members of Congress gifts, trips, or other things of value.
- 58 percent believe the Abramoff case is evidence of “widespread” corruption in Washington.
Pew Research Centerfor the People and the Press Survey (Jan. 4-8, 2006)
- 81 percent of Americans think it is common behavior for lobbyists to bribe members of Congress.
USAToday/CNN GallupPoll (Oct. 21-23, 2005)
- 81 percent of Americans believe that corruption in government is an important issue—45 percent say it is extremely important, 36 percent say very important.
- Note: Poll taken before news of Abramoff scandal broke.
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