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CBS NEWS POLL For release: Sunday, October 11, 2015

10:30 am EDT

Congress, Boehner Receive Poor Marks

October 4-8, 2015

Just 23% of Americans – and 23% of Republicans – approve of the job John Boehner is doing as Speaker of the House of Representatives. More than twice as many – 52% --disapprove. Conservative Republicans are especially likely to disapprove (66%).

Congress continues to receive very low approval ratings: 12% approve, and 79% disapprove.

President Barack Obama’s approval rating is 45% in this poll; 46% disapprove. His approval rating has been similar all year.

46% view the economy as in good shape now, while 53% assess it as bad. Congress Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner announced he will be leaving Congress at the end of this month. In this poll, 23% approve of the job he is doing as Speaker, while more, 52%, disapprove, and 24% don’t have an opinion. The Republican Speaker receives poor marks from members of his own party. Just 23% of Republicans approve of the job he is doing as Speaker. Approval falls to 19% among conservative Republicans; 66% of them disapprove. Among those who describe themselves as supporters of the Tea Party, 22% approve.

Boehner’s Job Approval Rating Tea Conservative All Reps Dems Inds Party Republicans Approve 23% 23% 29% 19% 22% 19% Disapprove 52 58 51 50 62 66 Don’t know 24 19 20 31 16 15 Americans continue to give Congress decidedly poor marks. Only 12% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, while 79% disapprove.

Congress’ Job Rating Now 8/2015 6/2015 5/2015 3/2015 10/2014 Approve 12% 17% 15% 12% 22% 15% Disapprove 79 74 78 80 70 78

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The Parties Views of both parties are more negative than positive – but that has been true for some time. Americans are slightly more apt to view the Democratic Party favorably.

Views of the Parties Republican Party Democratic Party Now 8/2015 Now 8/2015 Favorable 32% 31% 40% 38% Not favorable 59 60 52 52 Democrats are more likely to see their own party in a positive light than Republicans are to say the same about their party.

Views of the Parties Republican Party Democratic Party Among Republicans Among Democrats Favorable 64% 87% Not favorable 31 9 President Obama As has been the case since early this year, President Obama’s overall job approval rating remains mixed: 45% of Americans approve of the job he is doing as President and 46% disapprove. The President’s approval rating has been largely unchanged since January.

President Obama’s Overall Job Rating Now 8/2015 6/2015 1/2015 10/2014 11/2013 Approve 45% 44% 42% 46% 42% 37% Disapprove 46 47 48 46 50 57 And while views of the president’s handling of the economy are also mixed, negative assessments outweigh positive views on his handling of foreign policy. On that issue, just 36% approve and 53% disapprove. In May, evaluations were similar.

President Obama’s Ratings on Issues Approve Disapprove Economy 47% 48 Foreign policy 36% 53 The Economy, Direction of the Country Views on the condition of the economy have changed little since the summer. Now, 46% of Americans think the economy is at least fairly good, while slightly more -- 53% -- say it is bad.

Condition of the Economy Now 8/2015 10/2014 10/2013 10/2012 10/2011 Good 46% 48% 43% 32% 32% 14% Bad 53 51 55 66 67 86

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Slightly more Americans think the economy is getting worse (29%) than getting better (24%), though just under half – 45% - think the economy is staying about the same.

The Economy Is Getting… Now 8/2015 10/2014 10/2013 Better 24% 28% 29% 21% Worse 29 25 25 38 Same 45 45 45 41 By more than two to one, Americans see the country as headed in the wrong track. A majority of Americans has said the country is on the wrong track for years now.

The Country is Headed in the….. Now 7/2015 10/2014 10/2013 10/2012 10/2011 Right direction 30% 27% 29% 23% 40% 21% Wrong track 63 66 65 72 53 74 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------- This poll was conducted by telephone October 4-8, 2015 among a random sample of 1,251 adults nationwide. Data collection was conducted on behalf of CBS News by SSRS of Media, PA. Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The poll employed a random digit dial methodology. For the landline sample, a respondent was randomly selected from all adults in the household. For the cell sample, interviews were conducted with the person who answered the phone. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish using live interviewers. The data have been weighted to reflect U.S. Census figures on demographic variables. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups may be higher and is available by request. The margin of error includes the effects of standard weighting procedures which enlarge sampling error slightly. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

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CBS NEWS POLL Congress, Boehner Receive Poor Marks October 4-8, 2015 Q1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? TOTAL RESPONDENTS Total Rep Dem Ind Jul15e % % % % % Approve 45 13 83 41 44 Disapprove 46 82 13 45 47 Don't know/No answer 8 5 4 14 9 Q2. Do you feel things in this country are generally going in the right direction or do you feel things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track? Jul15c Right direction 30 11 57 25 27 Wrong track 63 87 37 66 66 Don't know/No answer 6 2 7 9 7 Q3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling foreign policy? May15c Approve 36 12 69 28 37 Disapprove 53 83 20 56 49 Don't know/No answer 11 5 11 15 14 Q4. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy? Jul15e Approve 47 17 81 43 44 Disapprove 48 80 16 49 49 Don't know/No answer 5 3 3 8 7 Q5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job? Approve 12 9 18 10 17 Disapprove 79 85 72 81 74 Don't know/No answer 9 7 10 9 9 Q6. In general, is your opinion of the Republican Party favorable or not favorable? Favorable 32 64 10 26 31 Not favorable 59 31 85 59 60 Don't know/No answer 9 6 4 15 9

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Q7. In general, is your opinion of the Democratic Party favorable or not favorable? TOTAL RESPONDENTS Total Rep Dem Ind Jul15e % % % % % Favorable 40 7 87 30 38 Not favorable 52 91 9 56 52 Don't know/No answer 8 2 4 14 9 Q8. How would you rate the condition of the national economy these days? Is it very good, fairly good, fairly bad or very bad? Very good 6 3 9 5 4 Fairly good 40 28 60 35 44 Fairly bad 31 37 21 33 33 Very bad 22 31 8 25 18 Don't know/No answer 2 1 2 2 1 Q9. Do you think the economy is getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same? Better 24 9 45 19 28 Worse 29 41 16 31 25 Same 45 49 38 48 45 Don't know/No answer 1 * 1 2 1 Q10. Do you approve or disapprove of the way John Boehner is handling his job as Speaker of the House of Representatives? Feb14c Approve 23 23 29 19 26 Disapprove 52 58 51 50 55 Don't know/No answer 24 19 20 31 19 Unweighted Weighted Total Respondents 1,251 Total Republicans 379 343 Total Democrats 364 362 Total independents 508 545