The Hill News

While a solid majority of Americans believe it's important who represents them in Congress, less than half say their current representative is the best person for the job.

According to a Rasmussen survey released on Friday, 81 percent of voters say it matters who represents them in Congress, and 73 percent say it matters which party controls each house.

Still, voters tend to be pessimistic about current officeholders and what they can accomplish.

Just forty percent say that their representatives are the best people for the job, and about one-in-five believe the next Congress will be effective in grappling with ma! jor issues.

The new Republican House majority is not immune from these criticisms: more than half of respondents said that it is at least somewhat likely that voters will be disappointed with the GOP before 2012. Thirty-eight percent, meanwhile, said this change in attitude was very likely.

The survey was conducted from Nov. 21-22, and has a three-point margin of error.