Washington ( CNN ) -- Despite the bruising battle over their proposals to overhaul health care , congressional Democrats have maintained an advantage over their Republican counterparts on one key measure , according to a new national poll . A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday indicates that a bare majority of Americans , 51 percent , believe that the Democrats ' policies are good for the country , with 46 percent saying that those policies would take the U.S. in the wrong direction . Fifty-three percent of people questioned in the poll said the GOP 's polices would move the nation in the wrong direction , with 42 percent saying Republican policies are good for the country . `` The numbers for both parties are virtually unchanged since late August , just before President Barack Obama 's health care speech to Congress opened the latest round of debate on this divisive issue , '' said Keating Holland , CNN 's polling director . Democrats will be defending their large majorities in Congress next year when all 435 House seats and more than a third of the Senate seats are up for grabs . `` This advantage on policy could be an important edge for the Democrats heading into the 2010 midterm elections , '' Holland added . `` But independents will be the key to the midterms , and the numbers among independents spell bad news for both parties among that important group . '' In an August survey , independent voters ' views of GOP policies were evenly divided . But a majority of independents now say Republicans would move the country in the wrong direction . Nonetheless , the number of independents who dislike Democratic policies , now at 57 percent , is higher than the 52 percent who hold a negative view of Republican policies . The survey suggests that Sen. Joe Lieberman is taking a hit in popularity due to his opposition to a major element in the health care bill . The Connecticut independent , who caucuses with the Democrats to give the party a 60-vote filibuster-proof majority in the Senate , threatened to undermine the bill unless compromises were made . Lieberman opposed the creation of a government-run public insurance option and the expansion of Medicare to individuals as young as 55 . Both of those proposals were dropped from the bill this month , enraging many liberals . According to the poll , Lieberman 's favorable rating has dropped 9 percentage points , from 40 percent to 31 percent , from early December . His unfavorable rating has risen 6 percentage points , from 28 percent to 34 percent . `` Lieberman 's biggest decline -- a 14-point drop -- came among independents , '' Holland said . `` Only Republicans continue to like Lieberman . '' The survey also indicates that just one in five Americans trust the federal government always or most of the time , down 4 percentage points from a year ago . The CNN/Opinion Research poll was conducted December 16 through Sunday , with 1,160 adult Americans questioned by telephone . The survey 's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points . CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report .
Poll : Fifty - one percent believe Democratic policies are good for the country . Fifty - one percent say Republican policies are good for the country , poll shows . Views of Republicans spell bad news for both parties in 2010 elections , Washington bureau chief says .