- 23 Dec 2017 16:07
#14873836
Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):
And in honor of the season, a couple of polls of American Adults about Christmas.
Are you planning to travel away from home this holiday season?
Are any friends or relatives traveling to your home to visit this holiday season?
Which will you be celebrating this holiday season?
Should religious symbols like Christmas Nativity scenes, Hanukkah menorahs and Muslim crescents be allowed on public land?
Republicans
Independents
Democrats
Should Christmas be celebrated in public schools?
Republicans
Independents
Democrats
- Americans are feeling record level economic confidence going into Christmas and the new year, and Congress’ passage this week of the biggest reform of the U.S. tax code in decades is likely to fan the flames even higher.
Two-out-of-three Republicans (66%) and 50% of voters not affiliated with either major party think tax cuts help the economy. But just 22% of Democrats agree.
Most voters—and even nearly half of Democrats—said last month that it was important that Congress pass tax reform legislation by the year’s end. Earlier this month, however, just 49% thought tax cuts were likely by the end of the year.
Congress also agreed to a temporary budget deal to avoid a government shutdown. Most voters think a shutdown would be bad for the economy, although the vast majority admit that past shutdowns have had little, if any, impact on them personally.
Voters are feeling optimistic again about the country’s future. But still only 35% think the country is headed in the right direction.
The president in a major America First national security speech on Monday announced plans for a layered system to defend the country against missile attacks. Voters strongly support the idea of an enhanced missile defense system since they don't have much confidence in the ability of what we've developed so far to protect the country.
Just 30% think U.S. foreign policy in recent years has put America first. Ninety-four percent (94%) agree with the president that a strong economy is important to U.S. national security, with 70% who say it is Very Important.
National security now ties the Trump administration’s alleged ties to Russia as voters’ number one concern.
But with recent news reports and e-mails showing anti-Trump bias by several senior level FBI and Justice Department officials, nearly half of voters now believe there was an illegal effort last year to deny Trump the presidency.
The president ended the week with a 44% job approval rating in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.
After starting off at a record pace, Americans have slowed their holiday shopping, with a sizable number who still hadn’t started with Christmas just a weekend away. But only 40% had finished the holiday shopping at the beginning of the week.
Americans overwhelmingly continue to celebrate Christmas, and it remains the nation's top holiday, edging out Independence Day as the most important holiday of the year for Americans.
But 74% think Christmas is over-commercialized. Sixty-eight percent (68%) believe Christmas should be more about Jesus Christ than about Santa Claus.
For most Americans, there’s no place like home for the holidays. Christmas cards appear to be a tradition that’s falling by the wayside, though.
A sizable majority, however, plans to make a charitable donation of some kind again this year.
In other surveys last week:
-- Trump is expected to push a massive government-private program to repair America’s infrastructure early in the new year. While Americans don’t think too highly of infrastructure where they live, just 35% are willing to pay anything extra in taxes to upgrade it.
-- Voters approve of the president’s plans for joint government-private sector missions to the moon.
-- But just 30% of Americans would travel into space on a commercial flight if they could afford it.
And in honor of the season, a couple of polls of American Adults about Christmas.
Are you planning to travel away from home this holiday season?
- Yes 23%
- No 71%
- Not sure 6%
Are any friends or relatives traveling to your home to visit this holiday season?
- Yes 45%
- No 48%
- Not sure 8%
Which will you be celebrating this holiday season?
- Christmas 85%
- Hanukkah 3%
- Kwanzaa 1%
- The Winter Solstice or Yule 2%
- Some other religious observance 2%
- Some personal milestone 1%
- You won't be celebrating anything 3%
- Not sure 3%
Should religious symbols like Christmas Nativity scenes, Hanukkah menorahs and Muslim crescents be allowed on public land?
- Yes 70%
- No 18%
- Not sure 11%
Republicans
- Yes 79%
- No 14%
- Not sure 7%
Independents
- Yes 69%
- No 18%
- Not sure 13%
Democrats
- Yes 64%
- No 22%
- Not sure 14%
Should Christmas be celebrated in public schools?
- Yes 73%
- No 18%
- Not sure 9%
Republicans
- Yes 68%
- No 21%
- Not sure 10%
Independents
- Yes 66%
- No 21%
- Not sure 12%
Democrats
- Yes 68%
- No 21%
- Not sure 10%
Society cannot exist, unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere; and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without.
—Edmund Burke
—Edmund Burke