Our unpopular Congress

A January Post-ABC poll showed Congress’s approval at 13 percent — nearly an all-time low. You’d be surprised at some of the things in history that have been more popular than the current Congress.

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According to a recent Gallup poll, Congress's approval rating has reached an all-time low of 11 percent. Here are some surprising things from recent history that were more popular than the current Congress.

Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg

Polygamy

Polygamy is about as popular as Congress, according to The Atlantic Cities. Both have an 11 percent approval rating. (In this image, the cast of the HBO series, "Big Love.")

Lacey Terrell / AP

Paris Hilton

The heiress and former reality star had a 15 percent approval rating in 2005, four points higher than the current approval rating for Congress. That's hot.

Jason Merritt / GETTY IMAGES

Caning

Shortly before American teenager Michael Fay was caned for theft and vandalism in Singapore in 1994, a Los Angeles Times poll found that 36 percent of Americans supported caning as a form of punishment for teenage vandals in the United States.

Heri Juanda / AP

BP's handling of the Gulf oil spill

Congress is about as popular as BP was during the summer of 2010, after an explosion of one of its rigs caused millions of barrels of oil to spew into the Gulf of Mexico. The oil company’s approval rating in June 2010 was 13 percent, according to a CNN/Opinion Research poll, just one percentage point behind our current Congress.

Gerald Herbert / AP

Animal cloning

According to an ABC/Beliefnet poll in August 2001, 37 percent of Americans said cloning animals should be legal.

John Chadwick / Associated Press

Women wearing shorts in public

Believe it or not, a 1951 Gallup poll found that only 21 percent of Americans approved of women in their community wearing shorts in public in hot weather — but even that's still better than Congress right now.

Dana Felthauser / Associated Press

Human cloning

Even cloning humans for scientific purposes has been found to be more popular than Congress. According to a 2002 Pew Research Center poll, 17 percent of Americans supported scientific experiments on human cloning.

Anonymous / Associated Press

Bush at his nadir

President George W. Bush's popularity took a sharp dip after the 2008 financial crisis. A Washington Post/ABC News poll found his job approval rating reached a record low of 23 percent in October 2008. That's slightly lower than Richard Nixon's 24 percent approval rating when he resigned in August 1974, according to Gallup, but it's still much better than this Congress.

Charles Dharapak / Associated Press

Still more popular than Hugo Chavez

Congress remains more popular in the U.S. than Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has a nine percent approval rating among U.S. citizens, according to a 2007 Gallup poll.

HO / REUTERS

Featured Photo Galleries

Novelist Toni Morrison laughs with U.S. President Barack Obama before being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, May 29, 2012. The Medal of Freedom is the nation's highest civilian honor. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Toni Morrison; Barack Obama

Obama Honors Medal of Freedom Recipients

President Obama honored a diverse group of political and cultural icons.

PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 29: Serena Williams of USA stretches to plays a forehand in her women's singles first round match between Serena Williams of USA and Virginie Razzano of France during day three of the French Open at Roland Garros on May 29, 2012 in Paris, France. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

French Open results: Serena Williams loses, Maria Sharapova cruises

The American tennis star lost in the first round of a Grand Slam event.

Winnie Pajcic, 9, holds on to a railing as she leans back in the wind during a visit to Stockton Park in Ortega, Fla., in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Beryl on Monday May 28, 2012. Beryl came ashore early Monday near Jacksonville Beach with near-hurricane-strength winds of 70 mph. (AP Photo/The Florida Times-Union, Kelly Jordan)

Tropical storm Beryl, Flugtag, Rolling Thunder, Memorial Day and more in the day in photos

Tropical storm Beryl, Flugtag, Rolling Thunder, Memorial Day and more.

Camels rest at a watering hole outside the town of Aleg May 25, 2012. REUTERS/Joe Penney (MAURITANIA - Tags: ANIMALS SOCIETY)

Camels, tigers, turtles, a giant stag beetle and more in animal views

Camels, tigers, turtles, a giant stag beetle and more.

ANNAPOLIS, MD- MAY 29: Graduates cheer as the Blue Angels fly over during the 100th anniversary of the United States Naval Academy Graduation and Commissioning Ceremonies in Annapolis, Maryland, on Tuesday, May 29, 2012. U.S Sec. of Defense Leon Edward Panetta gave the graduation address. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

U.S. Naval Academy graduation

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta gave the commencement address at the ceremony.

LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 26: Singer/actress Jennifer Lopez (C) performs with dancers during the Q'Viva! The Chosen Live show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on May 26, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Eye on entertainment

Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Lil Jon, Eddie Van Halen, Mariah Carey and other celebrities.

Doc Watson, bluegrass and folk legend, dies at 89

The blind singer and guitarist was a Grammy winner, known for his flat-picking style of guitar playing.

Henry, a calf, sustained a head wound and required stitches after being slashed over the weekend.

Farm animals attacked in Fairfax

A calf, two goats and a chicken were slashed over the weekend at Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon.

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