<P> A Gallup Poll in April 2010 found 47% of Americans had an unfavorable image of the Tea Party movement, as opposed to 33% who had a favorable opinion . A 2011 opinion survey by political scientists David E. Campbell and Robert D. Putnam found the Tea Party ranked at the bottom of a list of "two dozen" American "religious, political, and racial groups" in terms of favorability--"even less liked than Muslims and atheists ." In November 2011, The New York Times cited opinion polls showing that support for the Tea Party had "fallen sharply even in places considered Tea Party strongholds ." It quoted pollster Andrew Kohut speculating that the Tea Party position in Congress was perceived as "too extreme and not willing to compromise". </P> <P> A CBS News / New York Times poll in September 2010 showed 19% of respondents supported the movement, 63% did not, and 16% said they did not know . In the same poll, 29% had an unfavorable view of the Tea Party, compared to 23% with a favorable view . The same poll retaken in August 2011 found that 20% of respondents had a favorable view of the Tea Party and 40% had an unfavorable view . A CNN / ORC poll taken September 23--25, 2011 found that the favorable / unfavorable ratio was 28% versus 53% . </P> <P> An NBC News / Wall Street Journal poll in September 2010 found 27% considered themselves Tea Party supporters . 42% said the Tea Party has been good for the U.S. political system; 18% called it a bad thing . Those with an unfavorable view of the Tea Party outnumbered those with a favorable view 36--30% . In comparison, the Democratic Party was viewed unfavorably by a 42--37% margin, and the Republican Party by 43--31% . </P> <P> A poll conducted by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute in March 2010 found that 13% of national adults identified themselves as part of the Tea Party movement but that the Tea Party had a positive opinion by a 28--23% margin with 49% who did not know enough about the group to form an opinion . A similar poll conducted by the Winston Group in April 2010 found that 17% of American registered voters considered themselves part of the Tea Party movement . </P>

When members of congress run against the government they play on