Americans say major donors have bigger influence than constituents on Congress

A solid majority of Americans, or 64 percent, believe that major donors rather than constituents have big influence on Congress, a new Gallup poll showed.

By contrast, only 14 percent of Americans say that people in constituents have a lot of influence, showed the June 1-5 poll.

These views are universal regardless of party identification, the poll discovered.

Americans think major donors have the most influence (64 percent), followed by lobbyists (55 percent), and party leaders in Congress (45 percent), it showed.

Only 14 percent believe that constituents have the most influence on Congress.

The poll also found that the most knowledgeable Americans are more likely than less knowledgeable peers to say that major donors have the most influence on Congress.

The poll's results conform to the American public's continuous low ratings of Congress.

The money's influence in U.S. politics has sparked the mid-April week-long Democracy Spring protests in 30 cities across the U.S., which were organized by several public interest advocating organizations. Enditem