Why is the president always more popular than Congress?

[memphis]

Not just Obama. Congress is always less popular than every president. Why is the legislative branch so much less popular than the executive?

[Holmes]

Because they're the ones that legislate?

[Lunar]

Because the process of legislating is messy, bureaucratic, and complex. 

[memphis]

Because the process of legislating is messy, bureaucratic, and complex. 

And the president's job isn't?

[Lunar]

Because the process of legislating is messy, bureaucratic, and complex. 

And the president's job isn't?

In many cases, the public face of the president is to simply give Congress a list of his popular priorities [deficit neutral, reduces expenses by X%,etc.] and leaves Congressional leader the responsibility of figuring things out publicly while Obama's team works behind the scenes.

[Meeker]

Because the Congressional approval rating is a garbage polling question that doesn't actually tell one anything useful about public opinion.

[Хahar 🤔]

Congress is faceless. The President is not.

[Verily]

Because the process of legislating is messy, bureaucratic, and complex.  

And the president's job isn't?

No. The President generally doesn't have to make unpopular decisions if he doesn't want to.

Also, each individual American has never voted for the vast majority of members of Congress. It's much easier to disapprove of people you've never voted for. Notice that, while Congress has a whole always has a terrible approval rating, combined approval for individual Senators and Congressmen always averages to far higher than the overall rating.

[dead0man]

What Xahar said basically.  Congress is legion, the President is just one dude.

[Bo]

Congress is faceless. The President is not.

I thought that this was the face of Congress:



Of course, along with this:

[Tuck!]

Congress as a whole is generally less popular but not necessarily each district's Representative or each state's Senator.

[anvi]

Each individual American has never voted for the vast majority of members of Congress. It's much easier to disapprove of people you've never voted for.

This. 

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

It isn't ALWAYS true, Congress was more popular than Bush in Jan. 2007. But, yeah, it usually is.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Because people see things in Congress that they generally disapprove of (whether that's a certain bill, or an unethical action by a member on the other side of the country), and base their opinion of the body as a whole on that (at least in part), whereas the President is judged (almost) purely based on his own actions (although depending on current events, Congressional actions can also play a factor into a President's approval rating).