Poll: 73 Percent GOP Voters Prefer ‘DC Outsider’ Experience

A Quinnipiac University National poll reveals the current extent of voter frustration with the direction of the country and federal government.

According to the survey, 71 percent of American voters said they are “dissatisfied” with the way things are going in the U.S. today, 41 percent of who said they are “very dissatisfied.”

A mere two percent of voters said they are “very satisfied” and 26 percent said they are “somewhat satisfied.” The poll was released Monday.

Voters expressed a particular lack of enthusiasm about how the federal government is functioning. Just two percent of voters said they are “enthusiastic” about the way the federal government works.

Twenty-seven percent said they felt “angry” about how the federal government functions while 49 percent said they were “dissatisfied, but not angry” and 21 percent said “satisfied, but not enthusiastic.”

Additionally, voters remain relatively skeptical about government, with again, just two percent told pollsters they trust government “almost all the time,” 13 percent trust government “most of the time,” 51 percent trust government “some of the time,” and 34 percent said they “hardly ever” trust the government.

Republican frustration with the status quo in Washington, though highlighted by the rise of non-politicians in the GOP presidential primary, was also evident in the poll as 73 percent of Republican voters said they think experience as a “DC outsider” would better help a candidate serve as president. Twenty-one percent of Republican voters said “DC experience” would better help a presidential candidate.

Meanwhile, 55 percent of Independents and just 18 percent of Democrats also said that “DC outsider” experience would be better. Seventy-seven percent of Democrats and 37 percent of Independents said they preferred “DC experience.”

A majority of voters were also negative about the job both Republicans and Democrats in Congress are doing with 81 percent expressing disapproval of Republicans in Congress and 66 percent disapproving of congressional Democrats. President Obama’s approval rating was also upside down with 53 percent disapproving and 45 percent approving of his job performance.

The national poll of 1,563 registered voters was conducted from August 20-25 and has a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points.