Updated

Americans' confidence in Congress has never been so low.

A new Gallup survey finds just 7 percent of Americans have a high level of confidence in Capitol Hill -- that's low even by congressional standards.

Not only is the figure the lowest since Gallup started asking the question in 1973, but it's the lowest for any U.S. institution on record.

About a third of Americans reported having "some" confidence in Congress. But just 7 percent reported having a "great deal" and "quite a lot."

Compare that with public sentiment toward the military (three in four Americans have high confidence) or small business (62 percent have high confidence).

Faith in Congress is taking a body blow after a stretch where the public has perceived the institution as doing very little, gripped by partisan gridlock and struggling to pass even routine measures.

The poll of 1,027 adults was conducted June 5-8, and had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.