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{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}

'''Fenno's paradox''' is the idea that people generally disapprove of the [[United States Congress]] as a whole but often support the [[Member of congress|congressmen]] from their own [[congressional district|congressional districts]]. The paradox is named after political scientist [[Richard Fenno]], who discussed this phenomenon in his 1978 book ''Home Style: House Members in Their Districts''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kaplan |first=Johnathan E. |title=Reynolds casts aside six-year itch, counts on Fenno's Paradox |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/news/8028-reynolds-casts-aside-six-year-itch-counts-on-fennos-paradox/ |access-date=June 16, 2017 }}</ref> Fenno claimed that [[congressmen]] would often run against Congress.<ref>The Evolution of Political Knowledge: Theory and inquiry in American Politics, Volume 1

By Edward D. Mansfield, Richard Sisson</ref>

Fenno's paradox has also been applied to areas other than politics, such as the public school system. For example, U.S. citizens on the whole disapprove of the [[Public schools in the United States|public school system]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Saad |first=Lydia |date=September 1, 2022 |title=Americans' Satisfaction With K-12 Education on Low Side |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/399731/americans-satisfaction-education-low-side.aspx |website=Gallup}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cahn |first=Alexandra |last2=Hurst |first6=Kiley |date=September 18, 2023 |title=Americans are more pessimistic than optimistic about many aspects of the country’s future |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/09/18/americans-are-more-pessimistic-than-optimistic-about-many-aspects-of-the-countrys-future/ |access-date=September 20, 2023 |website=Pew Research Center}}</ref> but tend to approve of the particular local schools their children attend.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Christopher |last=Muscato |title=What is Fenno's Paradox? |url=https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-fennos-paradox.html |access-date=September 20, 2023 |website=study.com}}</ref> 

Fenno's paradox also refers to the paradoxical phenomenon by which individual members of Congress tend to have higher approval ratings among their constituents compared to the overall approval rating of Congress as a whole. This discrepancy is often attributed to the advantages of [[Incumbent|incumbency]], which include increased visibility, personal connections with constituents, and the ability to deliver benefits to their districts. The paradox highlights the complex relationship between public opinion and electoral outcomes in [[Representative democracy|representative democracies]].

== Notes ==
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{{Decision theory paradoxes}}

[[Category:Political science terminology]]
[[Category:Politics of Florida]]
[[Category:Decision-making paradoxes]]
[[Category:1978 introductions]]

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