The Week in Polls: Americans Rank Cockroaches Over Congress

Racial lines appear to blur, Obama gets kudos, plus more.

Americans Weigh In - Congress loses a popularity contest, the number of interracial marriages in the United States reaches all-time high, President Obama gets kudos for fiscal cliff dealings, plus more national polls. – Joyce Jones and Britt Middleton

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Americans Weigh In - Congress loses a popularity contest, the number of interracial marriages in the United States reaches all-time high, President Obama gets kudos for fiscal cliff dealings, plus more national polls. – Joyce Jones and Britt Middleton

A New Low - For months, Congress has been extremely unpopular among the American public, but who would have guessed they rate lower than the lowly cockroach? In a survey released by Public Policy Polling comparing Congress to a variety of unpleasant things, Congress lost: lice 67 percent, Congress 19 percent; colonoscopies 58 percent, Congress 31 percent; root canals 56 percent, Congress 32 percent; cockroaches 45 percent, Congress 43 percent. (Photos from left: dpa /Landov, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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A New Low - For months, Congress has been extremely unpopular among the American public, but who would have guessed they rate lower than the lowly cockroach? In a survey released by Public Policy Polling comparing Congress to a variety of unpleasant things, Congress lost: lice 67 percent, Congress 19 percent; colonoscopies 58 percent, Congress 31 percent; root canals 56 percent, Congress 32 percent; cockroaches 45 percent, Congress 43 percent. (Photos from left: dpa /Landov, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Blurring Racial Lines - Perhaps supporting the old adage “love knows no color,” the prominence of interracial marriages in the United States continues to grow, making up an all-time high of 8.4 percent of all current marriages, according to a Pew poll published Jan. 8. Forty-three percent of people in the study described the growing prominence of interracial marriages as “a change for the better in our society,” with about 10 percent calling it “a change for the worse.” (Photo: Brent Stirton/Getty Images)

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Blurring Racial Lines - Perhaps supporting the old adage “love knows no color,” the prominence of interracial marriages in the United States continues to grow, making up an all-time high of 8.4 percent of all current marriages, according to a Pew poll published Jan. 8. Forty-three percent of people in the study described the growing prominence of interracial marriages as “a change for the better in our society,” with about 10 percent calling it “a change for the worse.” (Photo: Brent Stirton/Getty Images)

Bad Politics - It's a new year, but Americans still view Washington politicians with disdain. A large majority (77 percent) said that "the way politics works in Washington these days is causing serious harm to the United States," according to a Gallup poll released Jan. 8. Still, 52 percent also said they are optimistic about the nation's future. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Bad Politics - It's a new year, but Americans still view Washington politicians with disdain. A large majority (77 percent) said that "the way politics works in Washington these days is causing serious harm to the United States," according to a Gallup poll released Jan. 8. Still, 52 percent also said they are optimistic about the nation's future. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Getting Digital - Online courses at colleges and universities offer flexible options for busy students, and millions of students nationwide are taking advantage. In the 2012 Survey of Online Learning published by the Babson Survey Research Group on Jan. 8, more than 6.7 million students said they took at least one online course during the fall 2011 term, up 570,000 students from the previous year. (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

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Getting Digital - Online courses at colleges and universities offer flexible options for busy students, and millions of students nationwide are taking advantage. In the 2012 Survey of Online Learning published by the Babson Survey Research Group on Jan. 8, more than 6.7 million students said they took at least one online course during the fall 2011 term, up 570,000 students from the previous year. (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

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Let Freedom Ring - When comparing the U.S. to other modern, industrialized nations, most Americans think their nation leads in three key areas. In a Gallup poll published Jan. 7, respondents rated the country the "best/above average" when it comes to individual freedoms (77 percent), quality of life (65 percent) and the opportunity for people to get ahead (55 percent). Just 29 percent, however, said the same when it comes to the health care system. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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Let Freedom Ring - When comparing the U.S. to other modern, industrialized nations, most Americans think their nation leads in three key areas. In a Gallup poll published Jan. 7, respondents rated the country the "best/above average" when it comes to individual freedoms (77 percent), quality of life (65 percent) and the opportunity for people to get ahead (55 percent). Just 29 percent, however, said the same when it comes to the health care system. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Winning - A majority of Americans give President Obama the winning hand in the fiscal cliff debate. But that doesn't mean they like the 11th hour deal struck by lawmakers. In a Pew Research Center survey released Jan. 7, 57 percent said Obama got more of what he wanted, but 52 percent said they will be hurt by the legislation, 44 percent said it will hurt the budget deficit and 46 percent said it will hurt the economy. (Photo: Marc Serota/Getty Images)

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Winning - A majority of Americans give President Obama the winning hand in the fiscal cliff debate. But that doesn't mean they like the 11th hour deal struck by lawmakers. In a Pew Research Center survey released Jan. 7, 57 percent said Obama got more of what he wanted, but 52 percent said they will be hurt by the legislation, 44 percent said it will hurt the budget deficit and 46 percent said it will hurt the economy. (Photo: Marc Serota/Getty Images)

A Very Happy Holiday, Indeed - With the holidays in full swing, it appears Americans made no qualms about treating themselves and loved ones during the month of December. On average, shoppers shelled out $83 per day in stores, online shopping and in restaurants, the highest amount for that month in four years, according to a Gallup poll published Jan. 4. (Photo: REUTERS/Keith Bedford)

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A Very Happy Holiday, Indeed - With the holidays in full swing, it appears Americans made no qualms about treating themselves and loved ones during the month of December. On average, shoppers shelled out $83 per day in stores, online shopping and in restaurants, the highest amount for that month in four years, according to a Gallup poll published Jan. 4. (Photo: REUTERS/Keith Bedford)

New Year, New Attitude - It looks as though many Americans are taking their pledge for a healthier lifestyle in 2013 to heart, and for some, it starts with kicking bad habits. In a study published Jan. 8 by Legacy, a national tobacco education foundation, 34 percent of U.S. adults said they planned to quit smoking as a New Year’s resolution in 2013. Just 18 percent in the study said it was a resolution for 2012. (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

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New Year, New Attitude - It looks as though many Americans are taking their pledge for a healthier lifestyle in 2013 to heart, and for some, it starts with kicking bad habits. In a study published Jan. 8 by Legacy, a national tobacco education foundation, 34 percent of U.S. adults said they planned to quit smoking as a New Year’s resolution in 2013. Just 18 percent in the study said it was a resolution for 2012. (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)