Poll: Low Favorability Ratings For Pelosi, Reid
Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.
Most Americans don't have an opinion about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a new CBS News poll finds, even after more than a year of debate over the health care reform bill that put them squarely in the public eye.
Yet those who do have an opinion of the Democratic Congressional leaders don't seem to have a very good one: Pelosi and Reid are viewed unfavorably by roughly three times as many people as they are viewed favorably.
Pelosi's favorable rating in the poll stands at 11 percent. Her unfavorable rating, meanwhile, is 37 percent -- meaning that more than one in three views the California Democrat negatively.
More than half of those surveyed say they are either undecided about Pelosi or haven't heard enough to make a decision.
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Reid's favorable rating, meanwhile, is even lower: Eight percent. His unfavorable rating stands at 23 percent.
The Nevada Democrat, who is facing a tough reelection battle, appears to be an unknown quantity to most Americans: Nearly seven in ten say they are say they are either undecided or haven't heard enough about Reid to offer an opinion.
The poll was conducted before the House voted on the health care reform bill Sunday.
This poll was taken as part of CBS News' "Where America Stands" series, an in-depth look at where the country stands today on key topics and an outlook for the future decade.More Coverage of Health Care Reform:
Nine Events That Led to Health Care Reform
Analysis: Health Care Debate Shows Ideological Split
Health Care Bill Passed the House, But Battles Ahead in Senate, Court
Washington Unplugged: Obama's Next Task Is Selling the Health Care Bill
Health Care Reform: Which Party Comes Out on Top?
"Baby Killer" Remark Came From Randy Neugebauer
House Passes Health Care Bill
Health Care Bill: What's In It?
Rush Limbaugh: "America is Hanging by a Thread"
Palin: Health Care Vote a "Clarion Call" to Action
CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care
This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1059 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone March 18-21, 2010. Interviewing was continued Sunday until the House of Representatives voted on the legislation. Phone numbers were dialed from random digit dial samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.