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33% Give Obama Positive Marks for Social Security

Voter confidence in President Obama's handling of Social Security has fallen following his release of a proposed budget that does not address threats to the retirement fund's solvency.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 33% of Likely U.S.Voters rate the president's handling of issues related to Social Security as good or excellent. That's down eight points from 41% in February. Forty-one percent (41%) think Obama is doing a poor job of handling Social Security-related issues. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 17-18, 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 -- Week Ending April 20, 2013

Boston.

The terrorist bombing at the Boston Marathon and the resulting manhunt for the perpetrators have held the attention of the nation for the past week, but Americans seem to be taking the events in stride.

31% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Thirty-one percent (31%) of Likely U.S. Voters say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken the week ending Sunday, April 14.

Voter optimism in the nation’s current course is down three points from the previous week.  Last week, it appeared to have recovered from a downturn prompted by the political impasse in Washington, D.C. over the so-called sequester budget cuts. Belief that the country was heading in the right direction fell to 28% in late February-early March as political leaders were desperately looking for ways to avoid even modest reductions in the growth of federal spending. Now that the threat to undo the sequester has passed, confidence in the country's direction appeared to be returning to earlier levels but may be trending downward again.

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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen April 8-14, 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.

67% See President Obama as Liberal

Sixty-seven percent (67%) of Likely U.S. Voters believe, in political terms, Barack Obama is at least somewhat liberal, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.  That includes 38% who think he is Very Liberal.

Twenty-four percent (24%) say the president is politically moderate, while only five percent (5%) see him as conservative.  (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 13-14, 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. 

39% Give Obama Good or Excellent Marks for Deficit Reduction

Voters remain closely divided when it comes to President Obama’s handling of issues related to economic fairness, but a plurality rates him poorly on deficit reduction.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 46% give the president poor marks for his handling of issues related to deficit reduction. Thirty-nine percent (39%) rate his performance in this area as good or excellent. These findings are generally unchanged from the previous two months.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 11-12, 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 42%, Republicans 38%

Democrats hold a four-point lead over Republicans on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending April 14.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 42% 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.

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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from April 8-14, 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.

72% Favor Individual Choice When It Comes to How Much Health Insurance Coverage

Voters remain closely divided in their opinions of President Obama’s new health care law but also are still very clear that individuals, not the government, should decide how much health insurance they need.  The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 47% of Likely U.S. Voters now view the health care law favorably, while 49% have an unfavorable opinion of it. This includes 18% who regard the law Very Favorably and twice as many (35%) with a Very Unfavorable view. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 13-14, 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 - Week Ending April 13, 2013

The ongoing debates in Washington, D.C. over gun control and illegal immigration highlight an uncomfortable reality for the Political Class: A lot of Americans just don’t trust their government.

34% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Thirty-four percent (34%) of Likely U.S. Voters say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken the week ending Sunday, April 7.

Voter optimism in the nation’s current course is down a point from the previous week. However, it appears to have recovered from a downturn prompted by the political impasse in Washington, D.C. over the so-called sequester budget cuts. Belief that the country was heading in the right direction fell to 28% in late February-early March as political leaders were desperately looking for ways to avoid even modest reductions in the growth of federal spending. Now that the threat to undo the sequester has passed, confidence in the country's direction has returned to earlier levels.

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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen April 1-7, 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.

37% Give Obama Positive Marks on Taxes

With more voters than ever thinking taxes will go up under President Obama, the president is earning slightly more negative reviews for his handling of the taxes issue.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 37% of Likely U.S. Voters now rate the way the president is handling issues related to taxes as good or excellent. That's down seven points from 44% in late January. Forty-three percent (43%) think he is doing a poor job in this area, comparable to last month's findings but up four points from 39% in January.  (To see survey question wording,click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 5-6, 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.

8% Think Congress Is Doing A Good or Excellent Job

Positive ratings for Congress’ job performance remain in single digits again this month. Most voters also continue to think it’s likely their own congressional representative has sold his or her vote. 

For the second month in a row, only eight percent (8%) of Likely U.S. Voters give Congress good or excellent marks for the job it’s doing.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 68% think Congress is doing a poor job. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 3-4, 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 41%, Republicans 38%

Democrats hold a three-point lead over Republicans on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending April 7.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 41% 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.

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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from April 1-7, 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.

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending April 6, 2013

Americans like a level playing field, but that’s not what they see these days.

As April 15 approaches, half of Americans think they are paying more than their fair share in taxes to Uncle Sam. 

44% See Conflict Between Economic Growth and Fairness

Most voters still believe policies that encourage economic growth are more important than those promoting economic fairness, but they’re slightly less convinced that there is a conflict between the two.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 71% of Likely U.S. Voters consider policies that encourage economic growth to be Very Important. That compares to 49% who say the same of policies that promote economic fairness. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 1-2, 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.

35% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Thirty-five percent (35%) of Likely U.S. Voters say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken the week ending Sunday, March 31.

Voter optimism in the nation’s current course is up two points from the previous week and is in line with attitudes measured at the beginning of the year. Confidence in the nation's course peaked at a high of 43% the week before Election Day but has gradually come down since then.

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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen March 25-31, 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.

42% Think Federal Government Should Set Environmental Policy

Fewer than half of U.S. voters believe the federal government should have the final say when it comes to environmental protection, and they remain critical of the Environmental Protection Agency and its impact on the economy. These findings come at a time when voters increasingly are blaming human activity more than planetary trends for global warming. 

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 42% of Likely U.S. Voters think the federal government should set the rules and regulations for environmental protection. Twenty-five percent (25%) think state governments should have that responsibility, while 17% would prefer to look to the United Nations or some other international organization. Just six percent (6%) would rely on local governments for environmental rules and regulations. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 28-29, 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 Slips a Point in March

The Rasmussen Employment Index, which measures worker confidence, slipped another point in March to 84.3.

Still, the Employment Index remains above levels measured for most of 2012. Worker confidence is up less than a point from March 2012 but is up 15 points from March 2011. In December of last year, the Index hit a five-year high of 91.2. 

Generally speaking, a decrease in the Rasmussen Employment Index suggests the upcoming government reports on job creation will be weaker than the prior month’s report.

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The survey of 9,373 working Americans was conducted in March 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 1 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 44%, Republicans 37%

Democrats hold a seven-point lead over Republicans on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending March 31.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Democrat in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while 37% would choose the Republican instead.

(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 March 25-31, 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.

Obama’s Monthly Approval Down Another Point in March

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.

For the month of March, the president's Total Job Approval Rating fell another point from 53% in February to 52%. In December, it reached 56%, the highest level since May 2009. Prior to the election, that rating had remained in the narrow range of 44% to 49% for two years straight.

In March, 47% disapproved of the president's performance, up a point from the month before. The number who disapproved of Obama's performance stayed in the low to mid-50s from August 2009 until the election. That figure dropped to the low 40s in November but has inched up since.

Daily tracking results are collected via telephone surveys of 500 likely voters per night. The monthly numbers in this article are based on approximately 15,000 interviews each month with likely voters. The margin of sampling error is less than +/- 1 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

78% Say They Get Good or Excellent Health Care

Most voters continue to like the health care they get but remain more critical of the overall U.S. health care system. However, the majority also still expects the system to get worse in the near future.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 78% of Likely U.S. Voters rate the overall quality of the health care they receive as good or excellent. Only four percent (4%) consider the care they get to be poor. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 30-31, 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.