If it's in the News, it's in our Polls. Public opinion polling since 2003.

General Business

Most Recent Releases

White letter R on blue background
February 13, 2009

Confidence in U.S. Banking System Plummets

Only 39% of Americans now express confidence in the stability of the U.S. banking industry, with just six percent (6%) Very Confident, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

White letter R on blue background
February 10, 2009

75% Oppose Nationalization of U.S. Banks

All sorts of big government solutions are being proposed to combat the country’s economic troubles, but Americans are clear on one thing: 75% say the federal government should not take over the U.S. banking system.

White letter R on blue background
February 2, 2009

88% Say No To Bonuses for Bailed-out Execs

Eighty-eight percent (88%) of American adults say the executives of companies that need federal money to stay in business should not receive bonuses. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that only eight percent (8%) believe the bonuses are okay while five percent (5%) are not sure.

White letter R on blue background
January 29, 2009

Public Support for Economic Recovery Plan Slips to 42%

Public support for the economic recovery plan crafted by President Obama and congressional Democrats has slipped a bit over the past week. At the same time, expectations that the plan will quickly become law have increased.

White letter R on blue background
January 28, 2009

Most Say Tax Cuts Always Better Than Increased Spending

Paul Krugman, last year's winner of the Nobel Prize for economics and a regular columnist for the New York Times, recently wrote that you should “write off anyone who asserts that it’s always better to cut taxes than to increase government spending because taxpayers, not bureaucrats, are the best judges of how to spend their money.”

White letter R on blue background
January 21, 2009

41% Say Apple Is Okay Without Steve Jobs

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has had the business world in a tizzy for months wondering about his mysterious illness, but 41% of Americans say the innovative technology company he co-founded will do fine without him.

White letter R on blue background
January 16, 2009

74% Say Madoff Should End His Days In Jail

Will he or won’t he – go to jail for life, that is?

White letter R on blue background
January 14, 2009

Most Americans Say Leaders Clueless On The Economy

Just 37% of Americans are even somewhat confident that their political leaders know what they’re doing as they try to address the nation’s economic problems.

White letter R on blue background
January 13, 2009

Americans Strongly Oppose Economic Plan Without Tax Cuts

Fifty-eight percent (58%) of American adults are opposed to a government economic recovery plan that does not cut taxes, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

White letter R on blue background
January 8, 2009

62% Say Economy Will Be Back and Better – In Five Years

Americans are solidly optimistic about the economy’s recovery, but most expect it to take up to five years to come back.

White letter R on blue background
January 7, 2009

54% Think Major Government Plan Is A Must for the Economy

A majority of voters (54%) believe a major government economic recovery plan is necessary to restore the U.S. economy to good health.

White letter R on blue background
January 6, 2009

Most Say Jobs Are Still In Reach But Riches Aren’t

A majority of Americans say it’s still possible for anyone who wants to work to find a job and work themselves out of poverty.

White letter R on blue background
December 29, 2008

Voters Champion Free Market But Want More Regulation

As the incoming Obama administration and the Democratic congressional leadership scramble for ways to right the U.S. economy, 70% of U.S. voters say a free market is better than one managed by the government.

White letter R on blue background
December 1, 2008

50% Say Bank Laws Were Not Strict Enough

Half of U.S. voters (50%) say the recent wave of bank failures was triggered by laws that weren’t strict enough as opposed to bankers breaking the law.

White letter R on blue background
November 18, 2008

44% Agree: Free-Market Capitalism is Highway to American Dream

Forty-four percent (44%) of Americans agree with President Bush’s declaration last week that "free-market capitalism is far more than an economic theory. It is the engine of social mobility - the highway to the American Dream."

White letter R on blue background
November 18, 2008

46% Say Media Tries To Make Economy Look Bad

Forty-six percent (46%) of Americans say most reporters and media outlets try to make the economy seem worse than it really is, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

White letter R on blue background
November 18, 2008

Only 26% Confident U.S. Leaders Know How To Deal With The Economy

Just 26% of U.S. adults are at least somewhat confident that U.S. policymakers know what they are doing when it comes to addressing the nation’s current economic problems, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

White letter R on blue background
October 27, 2008

47% Say Congress Has More Power Over Economy Than President and Fed Chairman

Nearly half (47%) of U.S. voters say Congress has more control over the direction of the economy than the president and the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.

White letter R on blue background
September 30, 2008

Just 26% Have Confidence That Lawmakers Know What They’re Doing in Economic Crisis

Just 26% of American adults have even a little bit of confidence that the nation’s policy makers know what they’re doing when it comes to the current problems on Wall Street.

White letter R on blue background
September 19, 2008

60% Say U.S. Economy Is Not Fundamentally Sound

Sixty percent (60%) of Americans now believe the U.S. economy is not fundamentally sound, and voters are evenly divided on whether any laws passed by Congress will make things better, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.