---
"title": "Republican Control?"
"description": "Fewer than four-in-ten Americans can say which house of Congress is controlled by the GOP."
"date": "2011-05-18"
"authors":
  -
    "name": "Russell Heimlich"
    "job_title": "Former web developer"
    "link": "https://alpha.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
"url": "https://alpha.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/short-reads/2011/05/18/republican-control/"
---

# Republican Control?

Few Americans know the specifics of political power in Congress. Asked about the legislative branch in a recent News IQ survey, just 38% of the public can say the Republican Party currently has a majority in the House of Representatives. About one-in-ten (11%) say the GOP controls the Senate, 18% believe the Republicans control both houses, 6% say neither and 27% admit they do not know. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to be aware of the details of divided power in Washington. Still, only about half of Republicans (49%) know that the GOP controls only the House, compared with 39% of independents and just 33% of Democrats. As with many political knowledge questions, older adults and those with a college education are more likely to know that the GOP controls the House of Representatives. In a separate question about Congress, just 43% of adults were able to identify John Boehner as the speaker. Nearly two-in-ten (19%) still believed Nancy Pelosi controlled the speaker’s gavel. [Read More](https://alpha.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/pubs/1944/political-news-quiz-iq-congress-control-obesity-energy-facebook)