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31% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Thirty-one percent (31%) of Likely U.S. Voters now say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken the week ending Sunday, June 9.

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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on June 3-9, 2013. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Just 39% Think Medicare Is a Good Deal

Fewer voters than ever now see Medicare as a good deal and think they’ll receive all of their promised benefits.  But most still have a favorable opinion of the government insurance program for older Americans. 

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 39% of Likely Voters believe Medicare is a good deal for working Americans today.  That’s down from 50% in late December and is the lowest level measured since regular tracking began in November 2011. 

Thirty-three percent (33%) don’t think Medicare is a good deal, but another 28% are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 10-11, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

34% Think Americans Selfish for Putting Economy Ahead of Global Warming

Voters continue to recognize there is a conflict between economic growth and environmental protection and don’t view themselves as selfish for putting the economy first. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 49% of Likely U.S. Voters believe there is a conflict between growing the economy and protecting the environment. Twenty-six percent (26%) don’t see any conflict between the two, but just as many (25%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 6-7, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

36% Give Obama Positive Marks for Economic Fairness

President Obama continues to draw low marks for his handling of deficit reduction and economic fairness.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 34% of Likely U.S. Voters give Obama good or excellent ratings for his handling of deficit reduction, tying last month’s all-time low in that area.  Forty-five percent (45%) think he is handling deficit reduction issues poorly. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 8-9, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

41% Willing to Pay More to Fight Global Warming, 47% Are Not

Belief that humans are to blame for global warming remains near an all-time high, but that doesn't mean voters are ready to reach into their pockets to fight it.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 46% of Likely U.S. Voters believe global warming is caused primarily by human activity. Thirty-seven percent (37%) blame long-term planetary trends instead. Just six percent (6%) say global warming is caused by something else, but 11% more are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 6-7, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Generic Congressional Ballot: Democrats 40%, Republicans 38%

Democrats are ahead again on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending June 9, 2013.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 40% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Democrat in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while 38% would choose the Republican instead.

For the last seven weeks, the gap between the two parties has been two points or less. In the previous survey, the two parties were tied for the first time since the week before Election Day in early November. Although Democrats have held a slight advantage most weeks since last November, their support is down from a high of 47% in early December.

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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from June 3-9, 2013. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage point with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

46% Think Free Market Policies More Important Than Closing Income Gap

Most voters continue to place more importance on policies that promote the free market over ones that reduce the income gap between rich and poor.  But they’re more closely divided when asked to choose between the two.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 85% of Likely Voters view economic policies that allow and encourage free market competition to be at least somewhat important, including 48% who regard them as Very Important. By comparison, 63% consider economic policies that reduce the income gap between rich and poor as at least somewhat important, with 42% who feel they are Very Important. 

Just eight percent (8%) say free market-oriented policies are not very or Not At All Important. But 30% think income gap-focused policies are not that important, including 13% who say they are Not At All Important.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 4-5, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Virginia Governor: McAuliffe (D) 44%, Cuccinelli (R) 41%

Rasmussen Reports’ first look at the Virginia gubernatorial race shows a close contest between two well-known candidates.

A new statewide telephone survey of Likely Virginia Voters shows Democrat Terry McAuliffe picking up 44% of the vote to Republican Ken Cuccinelli's 41%. Just three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate, but 12% are currently undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters in Virginia was conducted on June 5-6, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology. 

60% Expect Costs To Rise Under Federal Health Care Law

Most voters continue to view President Obama’s national health care law unfavorably. Two-out-of-three expect it to increase the federal budget deficit, six-out-of-10 expect it to increase health care costs and half expect it to hurt the quality of care.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 39% of Likely U.S. Voters hold at least a somewhat favorable opinion of the health care law, while 53% view it unfavorably. This includes 16% with a Very Favorable opinion and 38% with a Very Unfavorable one. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 8-9, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls -- For The Week Endine June 8, 2013

President Obama may have more than his share of problems these days, but things aren’t getting any better for Congress either.

49% Think Economy is Unfair to Hard Workers

Americans have long indicated that they think small business owners are the hardest workers, but they're closely divided now over whether the U.S. economy is fair to these hard workers.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters think the U.S. economy is at least somewhat fair to small business owners, but that includes just 10% who believe it’s Very Fair. Forty-seven percent (47%), though, believe the economy is not fair to small businesses, with 16% who say it’s Not At All Fair. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 4-5, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

49% Think Obama Good or Excellent Leader

Despite the controversies surrounding the White House, half of U.S. voters continue to give President Obama positive marks for his leadership. Voters are more evenly divided on his leadership style. 

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 49% of Likely Voters consider Obama a good or excellent leader.  That shows little change from the past couple months but is down from a recent high of 55% measured in late December. However, 39% now give the president poor marks on his leadership, his worst showing since last October.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 4-5, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

32% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Thirty-two percent (32%) of Likely U.S. Voters now say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken the week ending Sunday, June 2.

That’s up two points from the past three weeks. The latest findings are nearly identical to those a year ago and in line with voter attitudes since early March after President Obama and Congress failed to agree on a budget cutting plan and the so-called sequester cuts kicked in. Confidence in the country's direction jumped into the low 40s last November and remained in the mid- to high 30s through February.

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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on May 27-June 2, 2013. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

6% Think Congress Doing Good or Excellent Job

Positive assessments of Congress’ job performance remain in single digits again this month, and they’re not thrilled with their own representative either.

Only six percent (6%) of Likely U.S. Voters give Congress good or excellent marks for the job it is doing, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Sixty-four percent (64%) rate its performance as poor. (To see survey question wording, click here.) Those ratings are little changed from April.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 2-3, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Rasmussen Employment Index Reaches Highest Level Since 2007

The Rasmussen Employment Index, which measures worker confidence, rose almost four points in May to the highest level measured since October 2007. 

At 94.4, worker confidence is up seven points from January and is up six points from a year ago. These results mark just the third time the Employment Index topped 90-point level since January 2008. 

Generally speaking, an increase in the Rasmussen Employment Index suggests the upcoming government report on job creation will be stronger than the prior month’s report. While the improvement is encouraging, there’s still a long way to go. The Employment Index is still down 12 points from May 2007.

37% Rate Obama’s Handling of Gun Control as Good or Excellent

Fewer voters than ever now give President Obama positive marks for his handling of gun control and immigration.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 37% of Likely Voters rate Obama’s handling of issues related to gun control as good or excellent, while 46% view his performance in this area as poor.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on May 31-June 1, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Generic Congressional Ballot: Democrats 40%, Republicans 40%

Republicans and Democrats are now tied on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending June 2, 2013.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 40% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Democrat in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while another 40% would choose the Republican instead. The last time the two parties were tied was the week before Election Day in early November.

For the last seven weeks, the gap between the two parties has been two points or less. In the previous survey, Democrats led by two points. One week prior to that, Republicans led by one, only the second time since Election Day that the GOP had led on the Generic Ballot. Although Democrats have held a slight advantage most weeks since last November, their support is down from a high of 47% in early December.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 

The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from May 27-June 2, 2013. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage point with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

President Obama’s Full-Month Approval Rating Down to 49% in May

When tracking President Obama’s job approval on a daily basis, people sometimes get so caught up in the day-to-day fluctuations that they miss the bigger picture. To look at the longer-term trends, Rasmussen Reports compiles the numbers on a full-month basis, and the results can be seen in the graphics below.

51% Say U.S. Has Enough Shale Oil to Become World’s Largest Energy Producer

Voters place high importance on the United States becoming less dependent on foreign oil, and many believe the United States has the capability of achieving this goal and more. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Voters shows that 92% of Likely Voters believe it’s at least somewhat important for the United States to become less dependent on oil imports. That includes 64% who believe this is a Very Important goal.  Just six percent (6%) say it’s not important. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on May 29-30, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

45% Think U.S. Economy Is Fair, Improvement from May

Voters overwhelmingly believe in the value of hard work and think it should be rewarded. But over half continue to feel the U.S. economy is not fair.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 90% of Likely U.S. Voters believe it is important that people who are physically able to work are required to support themselves, including 71% who consider it Very Important. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Ninety percent (90%) also think it’s important to insure that everyone who is willing to work hard has a chance to earn a middle class lifestyle, with 67% who regard it as Very Important.

Overall, just 45% of voters now view the U.S. economy as at least somewhat fair. Fifty-one percent (51%) consider the economy in this country to be unfair. This is an improvement since May, but similar to attitudes in March,  February, and December.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on May 31-June 1, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.