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By Doug64
#13710133
A short one this week. Leading in, how is the president doing?

President Obama received a bounce in the polls following the bin Laden news, but over this past week, the bounce has largely faded. The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows that the president’s ratings have slipped back into the high 40s, right where they’ve been for most of the past year-and-a-half. The number who Strongly Disapprove of the president remains a bit lower than it was before the big news and enthusiasm for the president is up among his base voters.

The reason for such a modest bounce is the economy. Sixty-three percent (63%) of the nation’s adults believe the country is still in a recession. While the president is enjoying good reviews for his handling of national security matters, just 34% give him positive marks for handling the economy.

President Obama also spoke on the immigration issue this week and only 30% of voters share his view that the border with Mexico is secure. Most voters favor cutting off funds to sanctuary cities that shelter illegal immigrants.

On another topic with strong economic implications, most voters still favor repeal of the health care law passed a year ago.

In a match-up against a Generic Republican, the president holds a modest edge. Forty-five percent (45%) pick the president while 43% say they’d vote for the GOP candidate. Rasmussen Reports will provide new data on this generic matchup each week until the field of prospective Republican nominees narrows to a few serious contenders. On the Generic Congressional Ballot, Republicans have a similarly modest advantage.

All this comes against a backdrop of skepticism about both political parties in Washington. Just 29% believe the U.S. is heading in the right direction. Only 23% say the Federal Government has the Consent of the Governed. Most (53%) believe that Elections Are Rigged To Help Incumbents in Congress. Among Republican Primary Voters, 64% Believe the gap between the American people and the political elites is bigger than at any time since the American Revolution.

One big reason for this disconnect is that just 25% of voter believe the bailouts were good for the nation.

Other polling this week found that:

56% Favor Bringing Troops Home From Afghanistan Within A Year

65% Want U.S. To Stay Out of Syrian Crisis

50% Are At Least Somewhat Confident in U.S. Banking System

51% Blame Extreme Weather on Long-Term Planetary Trends, 19% Blame Human Activity

50% Give Government Positive Marks for Response to Weather Disasters

20% of workers Classify Themselves As the Working Poor
By Doug64
#13715854
And we're back to the normal flood of polls after last week's handful:

There was more muddle in the Middle East as the week came to a close.

President Obama made a major address on Thursday laying out U.S. support for the popular protest movements in several Arab countries and pushing a controversial solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian problem. While the president didn’t stress this position in his remarks, U.S. voters continue to believe strongly that a Middle East peace treaty must include an acknowledgement by Palestinians of Israel’s right to exist. But there’s very little voter confidence that there ever will be peace between Israelis and Arabs.

Israel has been largely silent as the events of the so-called Arab Spring have played out from Tunisia to Egypt to Libya to Syria and elsewhere. Even before Obama’s speech which drew an angry, negative response from Israel, however, most voters said the growing unrest in the Arab world is putting the Jewish state further at risk both in the long- and short-term.

The U.S. military remains a part of efforts to drive Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi from power, but the Obama administration insists American forces are now taking a backseat to those from NATO allies like Great Britain and France. Voters aren’t so sure that this is the case.

Still, most voters (63%) expect Gadhafi to be removed from power as a result of the military action taken by the United States and other countries, although there has been virtually no change in this expectation since Osama bin Laden was killed.

As for bin Laden, 64% of voters think it’s at least somewhat likely that enhanced interrogation techniques like waterboarding yielded valuable intelligence information, but voters are closely divided over whether that information was needed to find the mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Voter ratings for Obama’s handling of national security issues remain among the highest of his presidency following the killing of bin Laden, but the president’s grades on economic issues remain weak.

A majority (55%) of voters continue to support repeal of his top legislative achievement, the national health care law, and 53% believe it will increase the federal deficit.

The Rasmussen Consumer and Investor Indexes, which measure daily confidence among both groups, were up slightly this past week but are still little changed from three months ago.

Homeowners continue to be skeptical about the value of their home in the short-term, and even long-term confidence is limited. Only 15% of Adult Homeowners believe the value of their house will go up over the next year. Twenty-seven percent (27%) hold the opposite view and believe it will go down. Those numbers reflect a further weakening of confidence from a month ago and match the lowest level of optimism yet recorded. Even looking out five years, just 43% believe the value of their home will go up.

Only half (51%) of homeowners say their house is worth more than what they still owe on their mortgage. That finding has ranged from a low of 49% to a high of 61%, reached in October 2009 and December 2008.

While just over half (52%) of American adults still believe buying a home is a family’s best investment, very few would recommend selling a home in the current market.

A majority (54%) of voters continues to blame the nation’s economic problems on the George W. Bush years, but 58% trust their own economic judgment more than Obama’s.

Overall, at week’s end, 49% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president's performance, as measured by the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll. Fifty percent (50%) disapprove.

Voters remain fairly evenly divided over whether they want to give the president a second term in the White House. A Generic Republican currently earns support from 45% of Likely Voters across the nation, while the president attracts 43% of the vote. A week ago, the president had an equally modest edge over the generic GOP candidate. Rasmussen Reports will provide new data on this generic matchup each week until the field of prospective Republican nominees narrows to a few serious contenders.

The president leads seven long-shot Republican candidates in hypothetical 2012 matchups. But in a result consistent with polls involving the bigger GOP names, the president’s support stays in the very narrow range of 42% to 49%. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie runs strongest among the long-shot candidates, trailing the president by eight points among Likely U.S. Voters, 43% to 35%. In that matchup, 25% of Republicans either prefer a third option or say they’re undecided. Twenty-six percent (26%) of unaffiliated voters also fall into that category.

Republicans hold a seven-point lead over Democrats on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot. While that’s a marked improvement over the findings in recent weeks, it’s consistent with results from earlier in the year.

The bad news for Republicans is that voters now trust them on just six out of 10 important voting issues regularly surveyed by Rasmussen Reports. They trust Democrats more on the other four. In early January, voters trusted the GOP more on all 10 issues.

In other surveys last week:

-- Twenty-nine percent (29%) of Likely U.S. Voters say the country is heading in the right direction - for the second week in a row. The new finding is up eight points from three weeks ago, which marked the lowest measure of confidence to date since Obama assumed office in late January 2009. The number saying the country is headed in the right direction has ranged from a low of 21% to a high of 35% since his inauguration.

-- Voters are more pessimistic than ever about the possibility of stopping illegal immigration for good in the United States. Just 35% now believe it is possible.

-- Most voters (60%) continue to believe that the federal government’s policies encourage illegal immigration but remain closely divided over whether it's better to let the federal government or individual states enforce immigration laws.

-- Voters aren’t convinced that the U.S. border with Mexico is secure, and they still put that goal far ahead of legalizing illegal immigrants already in the country. A majority of voters also continue to favor a welcoming immigration policy for all except criminals, national security threats and those who come here to live off the welfare system.

-- Americans strongly believe that the severe spring weather that has plagued the South and Midwest is bad news for the economy, and nearly one-in-three adults plan to make some kind of donation to the people most impacted by the storms.

-- Americans have mixed feelings about the Internet’s impact on the nation, but they appear less optimistic about it than they were several years ago. In fact, just 33% of Adults think the Internet has had a good impact on American culture.

-- Despite living in the digital age, a majority of Americans still prefer reading a hard copy of their daily newspaper than poring over a computer screen. Still, just 27% of adults now buy a newspaper every day or nearly every day. But most still believe their local paper’s reporting is more reliable than news they read on the Internet.

-- Treaties signed over the years sometimes make strange bedfellows, and surprisingly one such regional treaty puts the United States in the position of helping Castro’s Cuba if it gets in a jam. Just 12% of American Adults, however, think the United States should help defend the Communist island nation with military aid if it is attacked.

-- News of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s marital infidelity and the resulting love child appears to have made a serious dent in the returning movie star's audience base. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of American Adults now hold an unfavorable view of Schwarzenegger, including 29% who view the former California “governator” Very Unfavorably.
User avatar
By sazerac
#13715877
If I wouldn't have have been stuck in the hospital Donald Trump would never have dropped out.

I felt so helpless.
By Doug64
#13721139
And surprise, surprise, voters don't trust the government to have the cojones to fix the problem they let it create.

Voters still seem to share Ronald Reagan’s view that government is the problem, not the solution.

While President Obama and both parties in Congress talk loudly about spending cuts, 50% of Likely U.S. Voters think it’s more likely the government will go bankrupt and be unable to pay its debt before the federal budget is balanced. Just 33% believe the budget is more likely to be balanced first.

Voters clearly recognize that government spending has risen over the past decade, and most favor a cap on annual spending increases limited to population growth and inflation. Government spending in the United States has grown faster than the growth of population plus inflation every year but one since 1965.

Still, while most voters are looking for serious, long-term spending cuts, they don’t seem to recognize what that’s going to take. The majority of federal spending is allotted to defense, Social Security and Medicare, and just 47% of voters recognize that it is necessary to make major changes in those areas to make truly significant long-term cuts in government spending.

One area to cut that the majority of voters still agree on is a repeal of the new national health care law. Although the new Republican-dominated House has voted to repeal the law, that effort is stalled on the Democratic-controlled Senate. Voters are now evenly divided over the likelihood of the controversial measure actually being repealed.

Only nine percent (9%) of voters now give Congress positive marks for its job performance, tying the most negative assessment ever - for the second month in a row.

Republican voters are slightly less critical of the job their representatives in Congress are doing, but most still think the legislators are out of sync with the party base. Democratic voters, by contrast, are not as happy with the performance of their congressmen as they were a year ago.

Republicans hold just a two-point lead over Democrats on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot. That ties the smallest gap between the parties since October 2009.

Voters, regardless of their place on the political spectrum, continue to question the ethics of those who represent them. People regularly go back and forth between government and private industry jobs in Washington, D.C., for example, and while the practice raises conflict-of-interest questions, it’s generally quite legal. But 51% of American Adults think that when a company offers a government regulator a job, it’s a form of a bribe. Just 22% say it’s not a bribe, but another 27% are not sure.

Americans overwhelmingly believe that government regulators should be banned from working for companies they regulate for at least five years. A sizable number also think companies that offer jobs to regulators should be banned from doing business with the government altogether.

Even in an area like disaster relief, voters see the dirty hand of politics. The vast majority (89%) believes the federal government’s role in disaster relief is at least somewhat important, including 55% who say it is Very Important. But 53% believe politics plays a part in the federal government’s response to specific disasters. Only 26% disagree.

As for the president, 46% now rate his leadership as good or excellent, including 25% who say he is an excellent leader. Thirty-four percent (34%) see Obama’s leadership as poor. This is consistent with findings for months.

Just eight percent (8%) of voters nationwide currently rate national security issues such as the War on Terror as their top voting issue. That’s down from 20% on Election Day 2008 when Obama was elected and down from 41% on Election Day 2004 when George W. Bush was reelected. The relative unimportance of national security issues helps explain why the president’s overall job approval rating showed little lasting change despite overwhelming approval for the mission to kill Osama bin Laden.

Rasmussen Reports tracking data shows that 46% now rate the economy as their top voting issue, a figure that has remained fairly constant during Obama’s time in office. When Bush was reelected in 2004, just 26% rated the economy as their top issue.

For the third week in a row, voters remain almost evenly divided over whether they want to reelect the president or elect a Republican to replace him. Obama earns support from 45% of Likely Voters nationwide, while a generic Republican candidate picks up 44% of the vote. Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is frequently mentioned as a possible GOP challenger to Obama, but he insists he’s not running. In Democratic-leaning New Jersey, both Christie and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney are within single digits of Obama in hypothetical 2012 election match-ups. Forty-nine percent (49%) of Likely New Jersey Voters favor Obama, while Christie earns 44% support. That’s closer than the two men run nationally. Romney trails Obama 49% to 43% in the Garden State.

All early polling for the 2012 election should be viewed with caution, however, given the potential for change between now and Election Day. “If the economy improves dramatically over the next year-and-a-half, the president will be virtually impossible to beat,” explains Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports. “However, if there is a double-dip recession, it will be hard for the Republicans to lose. If the economy shows little substantive change, the race could be very competitive.”

The Rasmussen Consumer and Investors Indexes, which measure daily confidence in both groups, showed little change over the past week. Sixty-two percent (61%) of consumers say the U.S. economy is currently in a recession, while 19% disagree. Among investors, 63% say the economy is in a recession, but 20% say that’s not the case.

Sixty-three percent (63%) of Likely U.S. Voters remain concerned that Japan’s recent earthquake and tsunami will hurt the U.S. economy. With problems continuing at the Fukushima nuclear plant, voters also are still worried about nuclear power plant safety at home, but only 29% believe the United States should systematically phase out the use of nuclear power plants over the next 50 years. However, support for building more nuclear plants (38%) is now at its lowest level in nearly three years of Rasmussen Reports surveying.

The economy appears to be impacting summer vacation plans, too. Just 38% of American Adults plan to take a summer vacation this year, virtually unchanged from last year.

In other surveys last week:

-- For the third week in a row, 29% of Likely U.S. Voters say the country is heading in the right direction. That’s up eight points from four weeks ago which marked the lowest measure of confidence since Obama assumed office in late January 2009. The number saying the country is headed in the right direction has ranged from a low of 21% to a high of 35% since his inauguration.

-- Voters still believe U.S. society is fair and decent and tend to think the president doesn't agree with them.

-- Eighty-five percent (85%) of Americans rate their marriages as good or excellent. Those most recently wed are the most enthusiastic.

-- A plurality (49%) of voters considers themselves pro-choice on the issue of abortion, but most (52%) still consider abortion morally unjust most of the time.

-- Just one-out-of-five American Adults have served in the U.S. military, but 60% of their fellow citizens plan on doing something special on Memorial Day to honor those who gave their lives for their country.

-- Oprah Winfrey’s television talk show came to a close this past week after a 25-year run. Seventy-five percent (75%) of American Adults believe Winfrey has been at least somewhat influential in shaping perceptions of people and products, including 35% who believe she’s been Very Influential.

-- The 10th season of "American Idol" also ended this past week, and a plurality of viewers (40%) correctly predicted that 17-year-old Scotty McCreery would win the competition.
By Doug64
#13726420
No surprise, the economy leads this week.

The government announced on Friday that the nation’s unemployment rate rose to 9.1% in May, dashing high-level hopes of an economic recovery in the near future. But most Americans aren’t surprised.

Nearly one-out-of-three adults (31%) predict that the unemployment rate will be even higher a year from now. That’s the most pessimistic attitude toward the jobs market since last June.

Most voters continue to feel that tax cuts and decreases in government spending help the U.S. economy, but they don’t expect either to happen any time soon. Sixty-six percent (66%) of Americans, in fact, are at least somewhat worried that the U.S. government will run out of money, including 38% who are Very Worried.

Americans still look back unfavorably on the federal government bailout of the financial industry, and 68% think the billions in taxpayer money went to those who caused the financial meltdown. Many Americans believe that meltdown was primarily due to criminal behavior by some financial executives, and a sizable majority (64%) feels the federal government has not been aggressive enough in pursuing criminal activity by top Wall Street executives.

But then voters have said in surveys for years that big business and government work together in ways that hurt consumers and investors. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, for example, recently joined the U.S. Justice Department in an effort to stop the state of Arizona from cracking down on those who employ illegal immigrants.

The U.S. Supreme Court 10 days ago upheld the legality of Arizona’s law, and 61% of voters nationwide favor a similar law in their state that would shut down companies that knowingly and repeatedly hire illegal immigrants. Sixty-five percent (65%) feel that employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants are a bigger problem than the illegals who are seeking a job.

The Rasmussen Employment Index, which measures workers’ perceptions of the labor market each month, increased in April and May, with confidence back to its level at the beginning of the year. Still, 19% of working Americans report that their firms are hiring, while 23% say their firms are laying workers off. It has been nearly three years since the number reporting that their firms are hiring has topped the number reporting layoffs.

The Rasmussen Consumer and Investors Indexes, which measure daily confidence among both groups, improved slightly this week but are still below levels measured in January. Twenty-nine percent (29%) of Adult Consumers say the U.S. economy is getting better these days, while 49% believe it’s getting worse. Among investors, 34% say economic conditions in the country are improving, but 50% feel they're getting worse.

Americans have mixed reactions when asked how the struggling economy is impacting their families. Thirty-one percent (31%) say the problems stemming from the economy have brought their family members closer together. Twenty-eight percent (28%) say economic problems have driven their family further apart, while 36% say the economy has had no impact.

Most political analysts, including our own Scott Rasmussen, think the 2012 election is very likely to turn on the state of the economy. For now, voters remain almost evenly divided when asked if they want to reelect President Obama. In a hypothetical 2012 presidential matchup, a generic Republican candidate earns support from 45% of Likely U.S. Voters, while the president attracts 43% of the vote.

Still, in an overall look at May’s findings in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll, the number who Strongly Approve of Obama’s job performance increased two points to 25%, while the number of voters who Strongly Disapprove fell two points to 36%, the lowest level measured in nearly two years. The new findings generated a full-month Presidential Approval Index rating of -11. That’s up four points from April and the highest the index has been since January. The president’s approval index rating stayed between -14 and -17 for most of last year.

Also in May, however, the number of Republicans in the country increased to its highest level so far this year. Now, 35.6% of American Adults consider themselves to be Republicans; 34.0% say they’re Democrats, and 30.4% are not affiliated with either party. The May results mark the sixth time in the past seven months that there have been more Republicans than Democrats in the nation. April’s numbers represented the lowest number of Democrats ever recorded in Rasmussen Reports tracking since November 2002.

As they have since July 2009, Republicans led Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending May 29. But for the 10th straight week, support for Republicans has stayed in the narrow range between 41% and 44%.

Regardless of the party in power, over half (53%) of Americans now believe the federal government is more of a threat to individual rights than a protector. Fifty-two percent (52%) think it is more important for the government to protect individual rights than to promote economic growth.

Voters would rather be called a good citizen than a patriot, although they see little difference between the two labels. To be a good citizen, though, most agree it’s more important to do church and community work than to get involved in politics.

And why do most Americans get involved in politics anyway? Forty-three percent (43%) of voters think it’s to help make the country better, but just as many (43%) say most get politically active to protect themselves from what the government might do.

In other surveys last week:

-- Voters express strong concern about the safety of America’s computer systems, and 53% think a major cyberattack on the United States by another country should be grounds for forceful military retaliation.

-- The national health care law is still viewed as bad for the country by nearly half of U.S. voters, and most continue to favor repeal of the controversial measure.

-- Twenty-six percent (26%) of Likely U.S. Voters now say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a survey taken the week ending Sunday, May 29. In April, prior to the killing of Osama bin Laden, the number who felt the country was heading in the right direction fell into the low 20s, the lowest findings of the Obama presidency.

-- Just 35% of voters now believe America's best days lie ahead. Still, that's up four points from April which marked the highest level of pessimism in nearly five years of surveying. A plurality (47%) continues to believe America's best days are in the past.

-- One-in-five Americans (21%) say individual states have the right to secede from the country, although a majority doesn’t believe it will actually happen.

-- New Jersey voters give Obama the edge over Governor Chris Christie in a hypothetical 2012 matchup, but they think their governor is doing a better job than the president when it comes to handling current budget problems.

-- Forty-nine percent (49%) of Americans view Memorial Day as one of the nation’s most important holidays. Just seven percent (7%) consider it one of the least important holidays, while 43% rate it somewhere in between.

-- The times indeed are a-changin’. Bob Dylan, the iconic American singer-songwriter of the 1960s, is now virtually unknown to more than one-in-three adults in the country.
By Doug64
#13731993
Almost forgot this:

Money did the talking in a lot of our surveys this past week.

Just days after the government's announcement that unemployment has risen to 9.1%, short- and long-term confidence in the U.S. economy are at the lowest levels of the Obama presidency. Only 31% of American Adults now say the economy will be stronger in one year, the most pessimistic assessment since January 2009. Looking out five years, only 46% expect the economy to be stronger. That’s unchanged from March, which marked the lowest level of optimism in over two years of surveying.

With the high school and college graduation season coming to a close, 89% of Americans say it will be at least somewhat difficult for recent graduates to find a job in the current economy. That includes 56% who say it will be Very Difficult.

One-out-of-three Americans think it’s good for the U.S. economy if the government puts more people on the payroll, but most adults still don’t see government as the solution to long-term unemployment.

In fact, voters remain narrowly divided over how much the government should get involved in trying to turn around the economy. Forty-seven percent (47%) are worried more that the federal government will do too much rather than not enough in reacting to the nation's economic problems. Forty-one percent (41%) are more concerned that the federal government will not do enough.

Most Americans also still believe government workers work less and make more money than those employed by private companies. Yet while the majority thinks government workers enjoy more job security, too, they’re not as sure of that as they were a year ago.

Americans are less convinced than they have been at any time since President Obama took office that it's still possible for anyone in this country to work their way out of being poor. Just 44% of Adults believe it is possible for anyone to work their way out of poverty. That compares to 56% in March 2009 just a few weeks after the president's inauguration.

The Rasmussen Consumer and Investor Indexes, which measure daily confidence in both groups, were down this week and remain short of findings at the beginning of the year. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of Americans believe that the United States is still in a recession.

On the home front, the vast majority of adults remain concerned about inflation. Eighty-eight percent (88%) report paying more for groceries now than they were a year ago. Three-out-of-four (75%) expect to be paying more for groceries in a year's time.

With voters consistently listing the economy as their top voting issue, it’s perhaps not surprising then that a generic Republican candidate edged Obama 45% to 42% among Likely U.S. Voters in a hypothetical 2012 election matchup again this past week. Rasmussen Reports will provide new data on this generic matchup each week until the field of prospective Republican nominees narrows to a few serious contenders.

Most voters agree that Obama is qualified to be president. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is the only Republican 2012 hopeful that a sizable number of voters considers qualified to serve in the White House.

Still, most voters also believe the president is more liberal than they are. Just 24% say their political views are about the same as Obama’s.

For the first time, however, voters feel the agenda of congressional Republicans is nearly as extreme as that of Democrats in Congress. Yet while she's much less often in the news these days, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remains Congress' most disliked leader.

As they have since June 2009, Republicans continue to lead on the Generic Congressional Ballot. For the week ending June 5, 43% of Likely U.S. Voters said they would vote for their district’s Republican congressional candidate, while 37% would choose the Democrat instead.

But a congressional race with an official Tea Party candidate in the running appears to be better news for Democrats. In a three-way congressional contest with a Tea Party candidate on the ballot, the Democrat picks up 40% of the vote. The Republican earns 21% support, while nearly as many (18%) favor the Tea Party candidate. Twenty-one percent (21%), however, remain undecided.

At week’s end, Obama’s overall job approval ratings appeared to be worsening slightly in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll. His numbers have shown a modest improvement since the killing of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden in early May.

Voter confidence in U.S. efforts in the War on Terror remain at record recent levels. Fifty percent (50%) think the United States and its allies are winning the War on Terror. Last month, after the killing of bin Laden, confidence in the War on Terror jumped 23 points from a four-year low of 32% in April to 55%, the highest level since January 2009.

Even with troop withdrawals from Afghanistan scheduled to begin next month, though, the recent burst of optimism about the war there appears to be over. Views of the situation in Iraq also were slightly more optimistic last month but have now returned to the levels seen since last fall.

In other surveys last week:

-- Twenty-eight percent (28%) of Likely U.S. Voters now say the country is heading in the right direction. Sixty-four percent (64%) think the country is heading down the wrong track.

-- Americans continue to have mixed feelings about the stability of the U.S. banking system. Forty-eight percent (48%) are at least somewhat confident in the stability of the banking system today, with 11% who are Very Confident. Confidence remains well below the high of 68% in July 2008.

-- Most voters continue to favor repeal of the national health care law passed last year and believe the legislation will increase the federal deficit.

-- Working Americans are more skeptical than ever that men and women are equally paid for comparable work, but there remains a wide difference of opinion between the sexes on the question.

-- Voters remain more conservative when it comes to money than they are on social policy, but 29% still say they are conservative in both areas. Just 11% claim to be both fiscal and social liberals. These findings have changed little in surveys back to November 2007.

-- To combat voting fraud, an increasing number of states across the country are passing laws that require voters to show photo identification before being allowed to cast their ballots. Seventy-five percent (75%) of voters favor such a requirement.

-- Two-out-of-three voters (66%) think politics in Washington, D.C. will be more partisan over the next year. That finding shows little change from last month but is the highest level measured in nearly a year of monthly tracking.

-- Roughly half of America’s workers say they’ll use all their vacation time this year, and fewer are connecting with work on their off-time compared to a year ago.
By Doug64
#13736955
Just a wee bit late this week again, oops. Enjoy:

For the third week in a row, a generic Republican candidate edges President Obama in a hypothetical 2012 matchup, but the race to become the GOP candidate remains wide open.

Following Monday night’s debate, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has taken his biggest lead yet in the race for the Republican nomination, but Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has surged into second place following her official entry into the campaign. Businessman and talk show host Herman Cain is the only other Republican in double digits. Of course, that line-up could change.

Just over one-in-three GOP voters would welcome Sarah Palin, Texas Governor Rick Perry or former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani into the presidential race, but a plurality (45%) says it would be bad for the party if Palin jumped in.

Still, Republican voters already seem to be closing ranks. Romney declared at the debate that any one of the current GOP candidates would make a better president than Barack Obama, and 77% of Likely Republican Primary Voters agree. Eighty-three percent (83%) intend to vote for the Republican candidate even if their favorite does not capture the party’s presidential nomination.

Among all likely voters, however, 30% think, given a choice between Obama and any of the potential GOP candidates, that 2012 would be a good year to consider electing a third-party candidate.

After all, 45% of likely voters agree that the gap between Americans who want to govern themselves and politicians who want to rule over them is now as big as the gap between the American colonies and England during the 18th Century.

The economy, health care and taxes remain the top issues for voters in terms of how they will vote in the next congressional election. Voters are more closely divided than they have been all year, though, over who is more to blame for the nation’s current economic problems — Obama or President George W. Bush.

The Rasmussen Consumer and Investor Indexes, which measure the economic confidence of both groups on a daily basis, fell this past week and are hovering just about 2011 lows.

Forty-nine percent (49%) of all Americans believe they will be paying higher interest rates in a year's time, although that's the lowest finding in over two years. But only six percent (6%) expect their interest rates to be lower a year from now, while 31% expect the rates to stay about the same.

Both General Motors and Chrysler have repaid sizable portions of their federal government bailouts, but fewer than half of Americans believe either automaker will fully repay taxpayers for the money they received. Ford, the Big Three automaker who didn't take a government bailout, remains the most well-liked of the three companies, although opinions of GM have improved.

As they have every week but one since Congress passed the health care law in March 2010, most voters support its repeal. Forty-six percent (46%) believe it’s at least somewhat likely the law will be repealed.

Republicans still lead Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot as they have since June 2009. The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll on Friday found that 46% of voters at least somewhat approve of Obama’s job performance, while 54% at least somewhat disapprove.

Perhaps fortunately for the president, national security issues are a low priority for voters these days because just 36% now look positively on the Obama administration’s handling of the situation in Libya. That’s down five points from 41% a month ago and the lowest positive findings since the president ordered U.S. military action to aid the anti-government rebels in Libya in mid-March

Even fewer voters (26%) feel the United States should continue its military involvement in Libya, and 59% agree the president should get the approval of Congress if he wants that involvement to go on.

Only 49% still see a need for the United States to belong to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and most voters question whether America’s allies in the Cold War era alliance will give their full support in Afghanistan and Libya.

Sixty-five percent (65%) of voters think it is unlikely that all remaining U.S. troops in Iraq will be brought home by the end of the year as scheduled. But surprisingly 46% support keeping troops in Iraq past the withdrawal deadline if the Iraqi government asks us to.

"Being the world's policeman” is a phrase often used to suggest America is the nation chiefly responsible for peace and the establishment of democracy in the rest of the world. However, just 11% of voters think America should be the world’s policeman.

The United States has defense treaties with more than 50 nations, but Rasmussen Reports is finding that most Americans aren't willing to go to bat militarily for the majority of them. Out of the latest list of nine countries we've asked about, just Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic earn the support of a plurality of adults.

In other surveys last week:

-- Twenty-seven percent (27%) of Likely U.S. Voters now say the country is heading in the right direction. The number who believe the country is on the right course has ranged from a low of 21% to a high of 35% since January 2009.

-- Eighty-three percent (83%) of voters continue to believe that one person’s vote really matters. But 58% think their election ballots should be printed only in English.

-- With Father’s Day at hand, Americans almost universally agree that it’s better for children to grow up in a home with both their parents and feel strongly that such children have an edge over those whose parents are divorced.

-- While state lotteries across the country scramble for ways to attract customers, Americans seem to be less enthusiastic about the government-run gambling operations. Forty-seven percent (47%) of adults still believe states should run lotteries to generate revenue, but that’s down from 56% in October 2009.

-- Many cash-strapped states are considering selling lottery tickets online to boost revenue. Some like Minnesota and New Jersey have already begun the process. But most Americans nationwide aren’t keen on the idea, perhaps because many think online gambling shouldn’t be legal.
By eugenekop
#13736970
The phrasing of the Rasmussen poll and the questions asked lead me to a conclusion that it is a tea party or even libertarian poll company. Am I right?
By Doug64
#13737198
Rasmussen polling predates the Tea Parties by years, but Rasmussen himself is in the Conservative/Libertarian camp (I'm not sure of the exact mix of his ideology). That has certainly impacted which questions he asks, which I have no problem with. Rasmussen has also been one of the most accurate polling organizations when it comes to elections.
User avatar
By Samuel Walker
#13738868
Why would anyone use the Rasmussen poll to review? So long as you say "We are going to see how fundamental republican/tea partiers feel about the issue, then it's safe to use Rasmussen. But as a pulse on how the US feels, not so much.
By Doug64
#13739098
Election results say different, but go right on believing that if it makes you feel better.
By Doug64
#13742029
Really late this week, and the economy is still leading, unsurprisingly:

Americans appear more pessimistic about the economy than they have been in months and also express little confidence that their elected leaders will do anything about it.

The Rasmussen Investor Index, which measures the economic confidence of investors on a daily basis, slipped seven points on Friday to its lowest level in nearly two years. Just 21% of investors now say U.S. economic conditions are getting better. Fifty-five percent (55%) say conditions are getting worse.

The Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures the economic confidence of consumers on a daily basis, fell four points on Friday and is now less than one point above its 2011 year low. Twenty percent (20%) of consumers think the economy is getting better, while 56% believe it is getting worse.

The COUNTRY Financial Security Index® dropped in June, in part because confidence in retirement has reached an all-time low. Just 51% of Americans believe they will have enough money to enjoy a comfortable retirement, the lowest percentage since the inception of the COUNTRY Index in February 2007. The drop also marks a consistent decline since October 2010.

Overall confidence in housing values among homeowners has plummeted. Just 45% now say their home is worth more than what they currently owe on their mortgage. That’s the lowest level measured in more than two years of regular tracking. Prior to the latest survey, this finding had ranged from a low of 49% to a high of 61% since late 2008.

Confidence that buying a home is the best investment a family can make also has fallen to a new low. Forty-seven percent (47%) of American Adults say buying a home is the best investment a family can make. Prior to the current numbers, this finding had ranged from a low of 51% to a high of 73% since September 2008.

But even as Congress wrestles with ways to reduce the crushing national deficit and get the economy going again, voter approval of the national legislature's job performance has fallen to a near five-year low. Only eight percent (8%) of Likely U.S. Voters think Congress is doing a good or excellent job. Fifty-two percent (52%) rate Congress' performance as poor.

Still, Republicans hold a six-point lead over Democrats – 43% to 37% - on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot. The GOP has led on the generic ballot since June 2009.

At center stage for Congress these days is the debate over raising the federal government’s debt ceiling. Republicans refuse to raise it without significant spending cuts; Democrats say failure to raise the debt ceiling will be a serious blow to the economy. Voters strongly agree that failing to raise the debt ceiling is bad for the economy. But most see a failure to make significant cuts in government spending as a bigger long- and short-term threat than the government defaulting on the federal debt.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives recently passed a bill that slashes spending on food safety and nutrition programs, but most Americans say reducing the deficit is more important than increasing food safety inspections. Besides, they’re confident that their food is safe.

Most voters (53%) also continue to support repeal of the national health care law, as they have every week but one since Congress passed it in March of last year. The House earlier this year voted to repeal the law, but that effort has stalled in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Now Republicans hope to stop the law by not funding the portions they object to.

Voters appear to be increasingly aware that serious budget-cutting will require changes in some of the biggest political sacred cows. The majority of voters now understand that most of the federal budget goes to just three areas – defense, Social Security and Medicare, but they still want to vote on any changes to the ones that directly impact their retirement. Interestingly, while Medicare and Social Security are big helps to most retired Americans, one-third of voters don’t care much for either of the long-standing government programs.

Protecting the environment is a concept most Americans embrace, but just 47% of voters have a favorable opinion of the Environmental Protection Agency. Nearly as many (45%) view the regulatory giant unfavorably. However, only 25% think the EPA should be abolished, even though 51% believe protecting jobs is more important than protecting the environment.

President Obama on Wednesday announced that the United States will withdraw 10,000 troops from Afghanistan this year and will bring another 23,000 home by the end of next summer. But most voters don't think the president has gone far enough. Fifty-one percent (51%) of voters want all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan within a year, with 31% who want an immediate troop withdrawal and another 21% who want a firm timetable for full withdrawal within one year.

Voter perceptions of the president’s leadership skills remain relatively stable. Forty-four percent (44%) view the president as a good or excellent leader, while 36% rate his leadership as poor. This is in line with the president’s ratings over the past two years.

At week’s end, the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll found that 46% of voters at least somewhat approve of the president's performance. Fifty-three (53%) at least somewhat disapprove.

For the fourth week in a row, a generic Republican candidate holds a very slight advantage over the president in a hypothetical 2012 election matchup.

Most voters (61%) are still angry at the media, although they’re less convinced that the majority of reporters are biased in favor of Obama. But voters continue to think most reporters are politically biased and tend to view them as more liberal than they are.

Alabama this month became the latest state to authorize routine police checks of immigration status and to require employers to verify that those they hire are in this country legally. Voters remain strongly in favor of tougher enforcement in both areas. While most voters still support a welcoming immigration policy, they also continue to firmly believe that border control should be the nation’s top immigration priority.

In other surveys last week:

-- Just 26% of Likely U.S. Voters say the country is heading in the right direction. The number who believe the country is on the right course has ranged from a low of 21% to a high of 35% since Obama took office in January 2009.

-- Voters appear less concerned these days with protecting individual rights when it comes to national security and public safety.

-- After falling to a four-year low just over two months ago, ratings for the job the U.S. Supreme Court is doing have returned to earlier levels. Thirty-five percent (35%) of Likely Voters say, generally speaking, the Supreme Court is doing a good or excellent job. Eighteen percent (18%) rate the high court’s performance as poor.

-- The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now requiring tobacco companies to attach gruesome warning labels to cigarette packs, but just 18% of adults think the new warnings will reduce the number of people who smoke.

-- Despite the big jump in gas prices in recent months, Americans are no more enthusiastic than they were a year ago about buying a car that runs on alternative fuel.

- Most football fans don’t think the 2011 National Football League season will start on time, if at all, and half place the blame on the league’s team owners.

-- Looking back, nearly half of American adults nationwide say mom influenced them more than dad when they were growing up. But 73% continue to believe that being a father is the most important role a man can fill in today’s world.
By Doug64
#13747164
And for the 4th of July weekend:

As the United States prepares to celebrate its 235th birthday, Americans still overwhelmingly agree with the ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence. Ninety percent (90%) agree that “we are all endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Americans also strongly support the beliefs that we are all created equal and the governments derive their only just authority from the consent of the governed. Men tend to be stronger supporters of these views than women, but majorities of just about all demographic groups agree.

The U.S. Constitution still enjoys solid ratings from around the nation, but 39% of voters believe it does not place enough restrictions on government. Only 17% believe the document designed to provide a healthy system of checks and balances places too many restrictions on government. Few, however, want to change it.

Sharing the views held by the Founders of our nation, 66% see more danger in a government that is too powerful rather than one that is not powerful enough.

While continuing to strongly believe in the principals of self-governance that has made America unique, Americans do have concerns about how those ideals are holding up. Only 39% believe the federal government currently operates within the limits established by the Constitution of the United States. Forty-four percent (44%) believe it does not.

The Declaration stated that governments were formed to protect the inalienable rights of individuals. Today, 53% believe the federal government is more of a threat to individual rights rather than a protector.

Perhaps reflecting concerns about the role of government and the government’s growing debts, 46% now believe that America’s best days have come and gone. Only 37% believe they are still to come.

And, despite the concerns about government, 66% continue to believe that American society is generally fair and decent. Only 26% disagree and believe our society is generally unfair and discriminatory. This underlying view supports the basic concepts of self-governance. Those who view society as generally fair and decent are likely to see a more limited role for government in smoothing off the rough edges. Those who view society as unfair and discriminatory tend to see the government as an instrument to force dramatic societal changes.

Looking at today’s fiscal problems, voters clearly distrust the nation’s politicians and would feel more comfortable with decisions being made closer to home. Sixty-four percent (64%) believe that any proposed changes in either Social Security or Medicare should be submitted to the American people for a vote before they can become law.

Going even further, voters tend to think that individuals should make their own decisions on the trade-offs between higher taxes to cover promised benefits or higher retirement ages to reduce costs. In fact, 65% believe Americans should have the right to pick their own Social Security retirement age. Those who want to retire earlier could pay more in Social Security taxes now. Those who would prefer lower taxes today could pay less in taxes and retire later.

Voters recognize that these trade-offs are important. Only 19% believe that current taxes provide enough funding to pay promised Medicare and Social Security benefits. Those under 40 are especially skeptical about receiving their promised Social Security benefits and a plurality of these younger voters have an unfavorable view of the retirement programs. They believe, however, that answers can be found: 63% think that Medicare costs can be reduced without hurting the quality of care for seniors.

As for Election 2012, a Generic Republican Candidate continues to hold a slight edge, 46% to 42%, over President Obama. Congressional Republicans hold a slightly larger advantage on the Generic Congressional Ballot.

These numbers come as just 24% believe the nation is generally heading in the right direction. When President Bush left office, the percentage who thought we were heading in the right direction fell to the teens. It grew to 40% in the early months of the Obama Administration but has been declining steadily ever since with only occasional bounces. Concerns about the economy are a big part of the problem. Just 8% of Americans rate the economy as good or excellent while 61% say it’s in poor shape.

Other data released last week showed that:

· 73% Say Woman President Likely in Next 10 Years

· 57% View Hillary Clinton Favorably

· 51% Say Gov't Should Force Oil Companies To Use Profits To Develop Alternative Energy

· 10% Would Base Their Vote On A Candidate’s Religion

· 75% Say U.S. Not Doing Enough To Develop Its Gas And Oil Resources

· 63% Favor Death Penalty, 47% Say It Deters Crime

· 55% Favor Health Care Repeal, Just 17% Say It Will Improve Quality of Care

· 48% Say Al Qaeda Weaker Now Than Before 9/11

· 46% Say Obama Doing Poor Job on the Economy
User avatar
By Samuel Walker
#13750011
The Rasmussen poll has been discounted on several occasions for several years. If you want to push right leaning information have at it. But understand, that few people trust it outside the 10% born again evangelicals.
By Doug64
#13750069
Samuel Walker wrote:The Rasmussen poll has been discounted on several occasions for several years. If you want to push right leaning information have at it. But understand, that few people trust it outside the 10% born again evangelicals.

Nope, sorry. There are people that don't like the questions Rasmussen sometimes asks or the answers it gets back, but Rasmussen is one of the more accurate polls out there.

But I hope the Democrats have your attitude, it'll help come the run-up to next November.
By Doug64
#13753342
No surprise, people are still gloomy about the economy.

There was more bad news on the unemployment front Friday, and Americans continue to express little optimism that the elected officials they have now will be able to do anything about it. They also strongly question the national security direction the country has taken.

Americans are less confident than ever that the nation’s policymakers know what they are doing when it comes to the economy.

Last November, the Rasmussen Employment Index capped four months of improvement by reaching its highest level since February 2008. It turned out to be the peak of the post-bailout era. Since then, the net hiring numbers have headed south. Just 20.3% of workers now say that their firms are hiring, while 23.4% report layoffs.

Yet American workers are more confident that their next job will be better than their current one, although most aren’t looking for other work.

The Rasmussen Consumer and Investor Indexes, which measure daily confidence among both groups, continued to stumble along this past week, with both still down from earlier in the year.

While many policymakers worry that credit is too tight, most Americans think instead that people are borrowing more than they can afford. Seventy-three percent (73%) of Adults feel that Americans borrowing too much money is a bigger problem for the economy than a lack of available credit. Just 19% believe banks should be encouraged in the current economic environment to lend money more freely. Seventy percent (70%) say banks should be encouraged instead to lend money only to those best able to repay the loans.

Eighty-six percent (86%) of Americans think their fellow countrymen use their credit cards too much, but just 24% believe they personally have a borrowing problem.

Voters remain strongly supportive of a free market economy over one controlled by the government and think small businesses are hurt more than big businesses when the government does get involved. Fifty-six percent (56%) believe increased competition rather than increased government regulation is the best way to hold big business accountable. But 34% see increased regulation as the better course.

Voters are more hopeful than ever that the lawmakers will finally repeal the national health care law, legislation that most have long believed will drive up both health care costs and the nation’s historic-level deficits. A majority has favored repeal in surveys every week but one since the law’s passage in March of last year.

For the second month in a row, slightly more voters describe the Republican agenda in Congress as extreme rather than mainstream. But voters have consistently felt for more than two years that the agenda of congressional Democrats is even more extreme.

Republicans continue to lead Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot as they have every week since June 2009. But for the first time since March, more American adults consider themselves Democrats rather than Republicans.

A closer look at voters’ foreign policy views suggests why most now want a firm timetable for full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan within a year and why most question continued U.S. military action in Libya.

Compared to the four presidents who followed him, Ronald Reagan had a more limited view of when to send U.S. military force into action overseas, and voters still embrace the more restrained use of force that he advocated. Seventy-five percent (75%) agree that “the United States should not commit its forces to military action overseas unless the cause is vital to our national interest.” That was the first point in “a set of principles to guide America in the application of military force” that Reagan recommended to future presidents in his autobiography.

In June, the number who Strongly Approved of President Obama’s job performance as measured by the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll fell to 23%. That matches the lowest total of his time in office, first reached two months ago. In May, the number who Strongly Approved bounced up two points following the killing of Osama bin Laden. This is just one of many measures showing that the president received a modest bounce following the bin Laden news and that the bounce has faded.

Still, for the first time this year, the president and a generic Republican candidate are tied at 44% each in a hypothetical 2012 election matchup. The GOP candidate had led the president for the previous five weeks. Rasmussen Reports will provide new data on this generic matchup each week until the field of prospective Republican nominees narrows to a few serious contenders.

With the political season heating up, Rasmussen Reports decided to ask voters about some of the major national organizations that get roped into partisan debate whether they chose to or not.

The National Education Association last week endorsed Obama’s reelection in 2012. Forty-two percent (42%) of voters hold at least a somewhat favorable opinion of the NEA, while 32% regard the nation’s largest teacher’s union at least somewhat unfavorably. The National Rifle Association, on the other hand, is likely to endorse whomever Republicans choose as their presidential nominee in 2012. Fifty-four percent (54%) of voters view the gun rights group favorably, but 41% share an unfavorable opinion of the group.

Forty-four percent (44%) of voters have a favorable opinion of the NAACP, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. Forty-six percent (46%) offer an unfavorable opinion of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, does not fare as well in the court of public opinion. The group that bills itself as the “nation’s guardian of liberty” is viewed favorably by 36% of voters and unfavorably by 52%.

AARP, formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons, made news recently by shifting its position on Social Security benefit cuts, but public perceptions of the group are little changed from two years ago when it endorsed the national health care law. Fifty-two percent (52%) of voters hold at least a somewhat favorable opinion of AARP, while 34% offer an unfavorable review.

In other surveys last week:

-- Twenty-five percent (25%) of Likely U.S. Voters now say the country is heading in the right direction. Optimism in the nation’s current course has ranged from a low of 21% to a high of 40% since January 2009.

-- Millions and millions of Americans routinely recite the Pledge of Allegiance at countless gatherings across the United States. When they do, they close with the line about how our nation is a land of “liberty and justice for all.” However, only 54% of Americans believe that statement is true.

-- Support among voters for a military draft is at its lowest level in several years, but nearly one-out-of-three voters (30%) favor mandatory public service. Just 18% believe the United States should impose a military draft.

-- While a majority of U.S. voters still feel discovering new sources of energy is more important than reducing energy consumption, the number who feel this way has fallen to a new low. Fifty-two percent (52%) say finding new sources of energy is more important than reducing the amount of energy Americans now consume. Thirty-eight percent (38%) feel the opposite is true.

-- Eighty-three percent (83%) of adults think young children spend too much time on their computers and other electronic devices. Ninety percent (90%) think parents should place limits on the amount of time their children use electronic devices.

-- The U.S. Supreme Court recently overturned a California law that made it illegal to rent or sell violent video games to children, but two-out-of-three Americans (67%) support a state law like that.

-- Sixty-five percent (65%) of Americans consider the Fourth of July, Independence Day, one of the nation’s most important holidays.

-- A plurality (43%) of adults still sees George Washington as the greatest of the nation’s founding fathers. Thomas Jefferson comes in second with 24% who see him as the greatest founding father, followed by Benjamin Franklin with 16%.
By Doug64
#13757624
Actually getting this posted in a timely fashion this weekend. No surprise, the lead looks at the budget mess in Washington:

President Obama continues to insist that tax increases be part of any deal to raise the federal debt ceiling before he agrees to the level of spending cuts Republicans are seeking. But most voters don’t see it that way.

In fact, just 34% of Likely U.S. Voters think a tax hike should be included in any legislation to raise the debt ceiling. Of course, there is a huge partisan divide on the question. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of Democrats want a tax hike in the deal, while 82% of Republicans and 51% of voters not affiliated with either major party do not.

At the same time, most voters nationwide (52%) continue to feel that failing to make significant cuts in government spending is more dangerous in the short-term than the government defaulting on the federal debt.

But then voters believe more strongly than ever that decreasing government spending is good for the economy and that tax increases of any kind are bad economic medicine. Fifty-five percent (55%) think decreases in government spending help the economy. Just 24% feel that tax increases help.

Voters even oppose an increase in the federal gas tax - even if the money goes only to developing and keeping up Interstate highways.

As the nation struggles with high unemployment and a depressed housing market, voters are evenly divided about which worries them more—that the government will do too much in response to the bad economy or not do enough. But most voters still don’t care much for government regulation of the economy and think it has a bigger negative impact on small businesses than big businesses.

Speaking of the economy, the Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures daily confidence among consumers, fell to its lowest level in two years on Thursday. The Rasmussen Investor Index, which measures daily confidence among investors, on Friday was down 11 points from three months ago.

One-in-five working Americans continue to classify themselves as poor, while the number of those who consider themselves middle class has fallen to a two-year low. Just 30% of Americans believe the quality of life for children today is better than it was a generation ago.

Trust in the U.S. banking industry has steadily slipped over the past three months. Now more Americans lack confidence in the banking system than continue to express confidence in it by a 53% to 45% margin.

Most Americans (79%) remain at least somewhat concerned about inflation and also lack confidence in the Federal Reserve to keep inflation under control and interest rates down. That includes 50% who are Very Concerned.

Once again this week, most voters want to see the national health care law repealed. But now they’re more closely divided over whether the law will force them to change their existing health insurance coverage.

Voters remain slightly more conservative when it comes to fiscal policy than they are on social issues, while 29% say they are conservative in both areas. Forty-four percent (44%) of voters classify themselves as conservative on fiscal issues such as taxes, government spending and business regulation. Nearly as many (40%) view themselves as moderate on these issues, while only 12% say they are fiscal liberals.

Most voters (52%) also still think the president is more liberal than they are. Just 15% feel Obama is politically more conservative than they are, while 26% believe the president’s ideology is about the same as their own.

A generic Republican candidate now earns the highest level of support yet against Obama in a hypothetical 2012 election matchup. The generic Republican picks 48% of the vote, while the president gets 43% support.

Republicans held a six-point advantage on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending Sunday, July 10. Republicans have led on the ballot for every week since June 2009, with leads ranging from two to 12 points.

Voters continue to say the president is doing a better job on national security than the economy, but his marks in both areas have improved slightly. Still, just 38% rate the president’s handling of economic issues as good or excellent, while 51% like the job he is doing on the national security front.

Confidence that that the United States and its allies are winning the War on Terror soared following the killing of Osama bin Laden and remains high again this month. But voter optimism about the situation in Afghanistan has slipped back to levels measured before bin Laden’s death.

Voters remain skeptical about U.S. military involvement in Libya. Only 24% of voters now believe the United States should continue its military action in the north African country.

Obama’s bin Laden bounce is definitely over, with his numbers in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll remaining largely where they’ve been for months.

In other surveys last week:

-- For the second week in a row, just 25% of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction.

-- With the last planned U.S. space shuttle currently circling the globe, Americans are slightly more supportive of the NASA program than they were a year-and-a-half ago. Still, only 50% of American Adults believe the 30-year-old Space Shuttle program has been worth the expense to taxpayers.

-- Critics of a new federal law that mandates longer-lasting, more efficient but more expensive light bulbs argue that it effectively bans the kind of bulb Americans have used for decades. Just 20% of adults think the sale of traditional light bulbs should be banned. Sixty-seven percent (67%) oppose such a ban.

-- Consistent with trust in individual citizens rather than government officials, most adults nationwide have more confidence in a jury over a judge to determine the innocence or guilt of a defendant. However, faith in juries is down a bit following the Casey Anthony verdict. Sixty-one percent (61%) believe Anthony is guilty of murdering her two-year old daughter Caylee.

-- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the major lobbying force in Washington, DC for the business community, but voters have mixed feelings about the organization. They look much more favorably on the American Medical Association, the nation’s largest association of doctors and medical students.

-- Americans continue to believe life exists in outer space, but they are less sure whether a human will walk on Mars within the next 25 years.

-- Perhaps no surprise here, but ice cream eaters, even with all the exotic flavors that are now available, still prefer chocolate and vanilla the most.
User avatar
By Genghis Khan
#13757635
I understand that you like to quote Rasmussen polls as a way to engage in some sort of an partisan masturbation fest, but there's a reason nobody is substantively commenting but you.
By eugenekop
#13757646
Actually I am a fan of this thread. Doug, please continue posting these polls, I read every bit.
By Doug64
#13757668
Not to worry, eugenekop, I've never expected a lot of comments here. For this thread, I consider the important figure to be the number of visits rather than the number of hits, and that's currently 1090 for 34 weeks' worth of reports, 31 visits per report (after subtracting the visits for the actual updates, of course). Some of that is comments, but mostly I think it's just people dropping in to check out the latest batch. Besides, this also makes a handy resource, both for current attitudes of Likely Voters/the American People and for previous attitudes.
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