Poll Finds 48% of Americans’ Views Closer to Tea Party Than to Average Member of Congress

While Democrats and Republicans and the White House wrangle over a federal budget and possible government shutdown, almost half of Americans say they are politically more in sync with the Tea Party than with the average congressman, according to Rasmussen Reports poll released this week.

“The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters say when it comes to the major issues facing the country, their views are closer to the average Tea Party member as opposed to the average member of Congress,” reads the summary of the survey released on Tuesday.  “Just 22% say their views are closest to those of the average congressman. Even more (30%) aren’t sure.”

Rasmussen further found that “forty-nine percent (49%) of voters think the Tea Party movement is good for the country, consistent with findings since May 2010. Twenty-six percent (26%) disagree and say the grassroots, small government movement is bad for America. Sixteen percent say neither.”

Also, 45 percent said that the average Tea Party member “has a better understanding of the problems America faces today than the average member of Congress.” Only 31 percent think the average member of Congress has a better understanding.

Most Democrats -- 54 percent -- think the average member of Congress has a better understanding of the problems America faces today, while 72 percent of Republicans and 51 percent of unaffiliated voters “have more confidence in the understanding of the average Tea Party member,” the poll found.

The telephone survey of 1,000 “likely voters” occurred Apr. 1-2 and the results were released on Apr. 5.

Crossposted at CNSNews.com