Majority Want Republicans to Chart Nation's Course

The public favors congressional Republicans taking charge of policy in Washington rather than President Barack Obama, according to a new Gallup poll.

The survey shows 56 percent of Americans would rather have republicans have more influence on the direction of the country. Only 36 percent prefer the president.

Researchers also found that Republicans have a 42 percent favorable approval rating, while Democrats only have a 36 percent approval rating.

The Gallup poll was based on telephone interviews with 828 U.S. adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Nov. 6-9, 2014. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.