Poll: Voters not confident in Congress handling economy

An overwhelming majority of likely voters (72 percent) are not confident in Congress addressing the economic crisis, according a poll conducted May 18-19 by Rasmussen Reports.

Respondents were tapped for their opinions as the Senate was wrapping up its work on financial reform legislation, which will be merged with the House-passed reform measure.

"Even as Congress puts the finishing touches on legislation asserting more government control over the U.S. financial industry, most U.S. voters continue to believe the legislators have little idea what they're doing when it comes to the economy," the report states.

Another 27 percent of respondents are "at least somewhat confident" that Congress knows what it is doing on the economy, and 6 percent are "very confident."

These findings show little change from surveys dating back to September of 2008, just after the Wall Street meltdown that included the fall of the financial firm Lehman Brothers. Back then, 67 percent of respondents were not confident in Congress's ability to handle the economy, while 26 percent were somewhat confident.