Congress Now Less Popular than Head Lice, Cockroaches and the Donald

It takes real skill to be less appreciated than one of the most phobia-inducing insects on the planet, but somehow Congress managed, hitting new lows in a Public Policy Polling survey that found even cockroaches more appealing

  • Share
  • Read Later
Alex Wong / Getty Images

It takes real skill to be less appreciated than one of the most phobia-inducing insects on the planet, but somehow Congress managed, hitting new lows in a recent Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey that found even cockroaches more appealing.

Also more popular than Congress: root canals, NFL replacement referees, head lice, Canadian rock band Nickelback, colonoscopies, carnies (that is, carnival employees), traffic jams, Donald Trump, France, Genghis Khan, used-car salesmen, Washington political pundits and brussels sprouts.

(MORE: Congress Ushering in New Members, with Old Divide)

The 112th Congress was a kerfuffle wrapped in a muddle inside a Gordian knot — the Associated Press described it as “one of the least productive in more than 60 years.” The latest figures are unprecedented — a paltry 9% favorability rating (and 85% unfavorable) overall — and the PPP survey cites the “historically unproductive 112th session and a series of last-minute showdowns over fiscal matters” as the likely culprit.

“We all know Congress is unpopular,” said PPP president Dean Debnam. “But the fact that voters like it even less than cockroaches, lice and Genghis Khan really shows how far its esteem has fallen with the American public over the last few weeks.”

(MORE: Starbucks Tries to Inspire a Fiscal-Cliff Agreement with Cup Message)

It wasn’t all bad news for Congress, however; the elected body still managed to beat out John Edwards, lobbyists, telemarketers, the Kardashians, North Korea, Lindsay Lohan, playground bullies, Fidel Castro, meth labs, communism, gonorrhea and the Ebola virus.

PPP contacted 830 American voters from Jan. 3 to 6 through automated telephone interviews, and the margin of error for the apolitical, independently funded survey was +/- 3.4 percentage points.