General Business

New High: 73% Say Government Should Cut Spending to Help Economy

Half of all Americans want more government action to deal with the economy. But the action they are looking for is to cut government spending. Overall, 73% of Likely Voters nationwide believe the federal government should cut spending rather than increase it in reacting the nation’s current economic problems. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 18% are looking for an increase in spending. (To see survey question wording, click here.) That’s consistent with earlier data showing that just 19% want to see more stimulus spending at this time.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 12-13, 2012 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 Right-to-Work Laws Good for a State’s Economy

Michigan’s sudden legislative decision to declare itself a right-to-work state has prompted angry protests from President Obama and organized labor, but voters by a two-to-one margin think right-to-work laws are good for a state economically.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters believe right-to-work laws are good for a state’s economy. Just half that many (22%) disagree. Seven percent (7%) think right-to-work laws have no impact. A sizable 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 December 12-13, 2012 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.

68% Expect To Pay More for Groceries A Year From Now

Most Americans remain worried about inflation and expect to be paying even more for groceries that they are paying now. 

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 77% of American Adults are at least somewhat concerned about inflation, with 43% who are Very Concerned. Nineteen percent (19%) are not as concerned, but that includes only five percent (5%) who are Not At All Concerned.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 American Adults nationwide was conducted on December 9-10, 2012 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% Confident In Stability of U.S. Banking Industry

Fewer than half of Americans remain confident in the stability of the nation's banks.  

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 49% of American Adults are at least somewhat confident in the stability of the U.S. banking industry, but that includes only nine percent (9%) are Very Confident.  Nearly as many (47%) lack confidence in the banks, with 12% who are Not At All Confident.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on December 9-10, 2012 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% Support Dropping the Penny

Americans are willing to give up the dollar bill if it would save the government money, and many wouldn’t miss the penny either. 

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 49% of American Adults favor a proposal for the United States to stop making pennies.  Thirty-one percent (31%) oppose dropping the one-cent coin, while 20% are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on December 5-6, 2012 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.

Most Are Willing To Phase Out One-Dollar Bill to Save Money

Congress is considering getting rid of the dollar bill and replacing it with a coin as a budget-cutting move. Americans don’t like the idea - until they hear how much money it will save.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 21% of American Adults favor a proposal to phase out the dollar bill completely and replace it with a dollar coin.  Fifty-nine percent (59%) oppose such a proposal, while 20% are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on December 5-6, 2012 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.

48% Recognize Need to Cut Entitlements, Defense to Reduce Federal Deficit

Recognition is growing among voters that reducing the deficit will require cuts in both defense and entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that nearly half (48%) of Likely U.S. Voters now believe it is necessary to significantly reduce the cost of entitlement programs and military spending to reduce the long-term federal deficit. Thirty-two percent (32%) disagree about the necessity of any such cuts, while another 20% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on November 28-29, 2012 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.

64% Think $4-a-Gallon Gas Likely in the Near Future

Gas prices continue to fluctuate like a bouncing ball, with most Americans now saying they are paying less or about the same amount for a gallon of gas as they were this summer. But most also think higher prices are coming soon.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 39% of American Adults think they are paying more for a gallon of gas compared to six months ago. Thirty-one percent (31%) say they are paying less now, while 26% say the price of gallon of gas is about the same now as back then. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on November 20, 2012 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.

50% Expect Weaker Economy In One Year

Americans are much more pessimistic about both the short- and long-term economic future following President Obama's reelection.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 50% of American Adults now believe the economy will be weaker in a year's time. That's a 27-point jump from October and the lowest finding since September of last year. Just 34% believe the U.S. economy will be stronger a year from now, down seven points from a month ago but more in line with findings earlier this year. Nine percent (9%) expect it to be about the same.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 2,000 Adults was conducted on November 15-16 & 19, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

47% Fear Government Won’t Do Enough to Help Economy

Even though the same people are in charge following last week’s election, voters are now more concerned than they were for most of the year that the government won’t do enough to help fix the struggling economy.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 47% of Likely Voters believe the government won’t do enough in reacting to the nation’s economic problems. Thirty-nine percent (39%) fear the government will do too much. Fourteen percent (14%) more are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on November 10-11, 2012 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.

76% Concerned About Inflation, 48% Very Concerned

Most Americans remain concerned about inflation but are beginning to express a little more trust in the Federal Reserve Board’s ability to control it.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 76% of American Adults are at least somewhat concerned about inflation, including 48% who are Very Concerned.  Twenty-two percent (22%) are Not Very or Not at All Concerned.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 American Adults nationwide was conducted on November 7-8, 2012 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.

9% of Working Americans Consider Themselves Poor

The number of working Americans who classify themselves as poor has fallen to its lowest level in more than three years.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Employed Americans shows that a majority (65%) believe they are in the middle class, while another 21% classify themselves as upper middle class. Nine percent (9%) say they are poor, while just five percent (5%) consider themselves wealthy. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 625 Employed Adults was conducted on November 5-6, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 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% Confident In Stability of U.S. Banking Industry

Confidence in the stability of the U.S. banking system has fallen back below 50%, but most Americans are still not afraid of losing the money they have in the bank due to a failure. 

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% of American Adults are at least somewhat confident in the stability of the U.S. banking industry today, but only eight percent (8%) are Very Confident.  Fifty percent (50%) lack confidence, with 14% who are Not At All Confident.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on November 7-8, 2012 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.

24% Say Today's Children Will Be Better Off Than Their Parents

Fifty-three percent (53%) of Americans think today's children will not be better off than their parents, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. But that's down six points from last month and the lowest level of pessimism since July 2009.

Still, only 24% think today's children today will be better off than their parents. However, that's up a point from a month ago and up from 18% a year ago. This finding has generally hovered around 20% for the past three years but dropped into the teens for much of this year. Twenty-three percent (23%) are not sure what the future holds for today's young people. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on October 22-23, 2012 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.

51% Think Government Spends Too Much on Poverty Programs

State and federal welfare spending passed the $1 trillion mark last year, more than is spent on Social Security and Medicare. Most Americans believe the government spends too much on poverty programs and that those programs increase the level of poverty in the country rather than decrease it.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 51% of American Adults think the government spends too much on poverty programs. That’s up 13 points from 38% in April 2011. Just 21% feel it doesn’t spend enough, while 20% say the amount spent is about right. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on October 20-21, 2012 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.

53% Are Confident in Stability of Banking System

Americans’ confidence in the stability of the U.S. banking system is at its highest level in over three years.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 53% are at least somewhat confident in the stability of the U.S. banking industry, while 42% lack that confidence. Still, these findings include just eight percent (8%) who are Very Confident in the system and 11% who are Not At All Confident. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on October 6-7, 2012 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.

58% Think Government Workers Make More Than Those in Private Sector

Most Americans continue to believe that government employees don't work as hard as those in the private sector but earn more money and have more job security anyway. Sixty-four percent (64%) of American Adults say workers in the private sector work harder than government employees, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just 11% think government workers work harder, while 25% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on October 2-3, 2012 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.

48% Know Someone Who’s Quit Looking for Work in Bad Job Market

Confidence in the U.S. job market remains near record lows for the year.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 21% of American Adults think the job market is better than it was a year ago. That’s down three points from early August and the lowest finding since February. Forty-one percent (41%) think the job market is worse than it was this time last year, down slightly from the previous survey but only the second time this year that pessimism has climbed into the 40s.

Thirty-six percent (36%) say the employment picture is about the same. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on October 2-3, 2012 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 America Weaker Today Than It Was Four Years Ago

Most voters don't rate the United State stronger today than it was four years ago when it comes to race relations, opportunities for women and young people and America’s relationships overseas.

Forty-nine percent (49%) of Likely U.S. Voters, in fact, think America as a nation is weaker now than it was in late 2008. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 29% believe the country is stronger today, while 18% consider it about the same. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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This survey of 1,000 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted on September 27-28, 2012 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.

23% Believe Today's Children Will Be Better Off Than Their Parents

The good news is that the number of Americans who believe today’s children will be better off than their parents is at its highest level of 2012. The bad news is that three-out-of-four Americans don't agree or aren't sure.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 23% believe today’s children will be better off than their parents. Fifty-nine percent (59%) disagree, and 18% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)    

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on September 22-23, 2012 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.