WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- The Republicans' advantage over Democrats in the battle for control of the U.S. Congress is on the rise, a CNN poll released Monday indicates.

A CNN-Opinion Research Corp. survey indicated the GOP leads the Democrats by 7 percentage points on the generic ballot question, 52 percent to 45 percent.

The 7 percentage point advantage is up from a 3 percentage point margin in August.

But the advantage doesn't mean Americans hold Republicans in higher esteem than Democrats, the poll indicated. Forty-nine percent of all Americans have an unfavorable view of the Democrats and an equal percentage said they felt the same about the Republicans.

Slightly more than one in five questioned said they dislike both parties.

Republicans also have a growing advantage among independents, CNN said. Sixty-two percent of independents questioned say they would vote for the generic Republican in their district, while three in 10 questioned said they'd vote for the generic Democrat. The 32 percentage point margin for Republicans among independents is a huge leap from an 8 percentage point advantage in August, pollsters said.

Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews with 1,024 adults conducted Sept. 1-2. the margin of error is 3 percentage points.