America's Favorite Punching Bag: The Role of Ideological Intensity in Attitudes Toward Congress

Abstract

Congressional scholars have increasingly turned their focus toward studying what factors influence congressional approval ratings and feelings toward the institution. While understanding the publicÕs views toward Congress is a complex endeavor, this study suggests that where one falls on the political spectrum plays a role in how one views the legislative branch. Specially reformatted American National Election Studies data was obtained to test the relationship between ideological intensity and attitudes toward the institution. While Congress is not exceptionally popular amongst any ideological group, people who self-identify as extreme conservatives or extreme liberals like Congress even less than those who fall elsewhere on the spectrum.