(CNN) - A national survey released Tuesday shows just over half of Americans are looking forward to this fall's congressional elections, and indicates Republicans are more excited to head to the polls in November than Democrats.
As campaigning picks up in the new year for the midterm elections, the Pew Research Center survey shows 63% of Republicans are anticipating the congressional elections, compared to 53% of Democrats. Fifty-one percent of all respondents said they are "especially looking forward to" the elections, with 49% saying they are not.
Pew notes a similar disparity between the partisan levels of excitement today and four years ago during the 2010 midterm elections, when a Republican wave gave the GOP back control of the House. The overall level of anticipation for the elections also remains the same, 51% today to 50% in a Pew survey in January 2010.
Americans' excitement for the 2014 elections trails anticipation for next month's Winter Olympics, at 58%, and the Super Bowl, at 55%, but beats enthusiasm for the upcoming Academy Awards and this summer's World Cup, at 24% and 22% respectively.
The poll was conducted by telephone from January 2-5 among 1,005 adults and has a sampling error of plus or minus 3.7% points.