Utahns are much more confident in the Utah legislature than Congress according to a new UtahPolicy.com survey.
UtahPolicy.com’s pollster Dan Jones & Associates asked Utahns to rate their confidence in a number of public institutions on a scale of 1 to 5. A “1” rating means they have very little confidence while a “5” says they have the utmost confidence.
The average score for the state legislature was 3.02 while Congress got an average rating of 2.24.
that low rating for Congress is not surprising, given the gridlock in Washington and the opposition most Utahns have for anything involving the federal government.
About a third of Utahns (31%) gave Congress their lowest rating while another 28% scored their confidence in Congress at a 2. Just 3% gave Congress the highest marks.
While few Utahns (7%) gave the Utah Legislature a “5” rating, 28% scored it a “4” and 34% said their confidence in Utah lawmakers was a “3.”
As you can imagine, Utah Republicans give the Utah Legislature much higher grades than Congress.
- The mean score for the legislature from Utah Republicans is 3.47, while Congress is just 2.52.
- 12% of Utah Republicans rate the Utah Legislature a “5.” Just 4% of Republicans give the highest mark to Congress.
- 39% of Republicans rate the legislature a “4,” while another 34% give it a “3.”
- 31% of Utah Republicans rate Congress a “2,” and 18% say they are “not at all confident.”
Utah Democrats give Congress and the Utah Legislature low marks. That’s not surprising, given that Republicans control both legislative bodies.
- The mean score for the Legislature from Utah Democrats is 2.40, while Congress gets a 2.20.
Independent voters really do not like Congress, giving it an average rating of just 1.84.
- 47% of independents in Utah say they are “not at all confident” in Congress.
The Utah Legislature fares a little better among independents. That body gets a mean score of 2.64. However, only 23% of independents gave the Utah Legislature a “4” or “5” ranking.
The survey was conducted by Dan Jones & Associates from September 1-9, 2016 among 605 Utahns. It has a margin of error +/- 3.98%.
