Voters still view the Federal Reserve Board's performance with skepticism and are evenly divided when asked whether the Fed chairman or President Obama have more clout when it comes to the economy.
Ben Bernanke held the first-ever press conference by a chairman of the Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday and plans even more. Many voters think this increased transparency by the nation's chief banker will be beneficial to the economy, although they still have mixed feelings about Bernanke himself.
Confidence in the stability of the U.S. banking system is up a bit this month but still remains at discouraging levels.
Americans feel more strongly than ever that the lack of immigration law enforcement directly effects poverty in the country.
Some Republican members of the House are crafting legislation that would include a work requirement for those who receive food stamps. Most Americans are on board with that plan.
Concern about inflation is increasing, as Americans say overwhelmingly that they are now paying more for groceries and expect to pay even more for them in the future.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% of Adults are Very Concerned about the threat of inflation. That’s up from 52% a month ago and 48% at the first of the year.
At a time when most Americans believe there is more poverty in the United States, many question the effectiveness of government anti-poverty programs and believe they cause more of the problem they're supposed to lessen.
Despite the billions of dollars spent on government anti-poverty programs, a majority of Americans nationwide still believe there are more poor people in the country today than there were 10 years ago.
