Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insists that the $787 billion stimulus plan passed in early 2009 kept the national unemployment rate from being much worse than it is, but Americans believe overwhelmingly that the stimulus did not help the economy and did not reduce unemployment.
A plurality of American workers believes they’ll earn about the same amount of money a year from today, and most continue to classify themselves as middle class.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Employed Adults shows that 36% say they’ll be earning more money a year from today, while 12% think they’ll be earning less. Forty-five percent (45%) expect to be earning about the same amount of money a year from now. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 563 Employed Adults was conducted on November 4-5, 2011 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.
Though a plurality of American workers still believes staying at their current company offers the best opportunity for career advancement, fewer plan on staying at that company for the long term.
Several Republican presidential hopefuls are proposing major tax reform initiatives, but voters worry about how much money those proposals will generate.
You need to earn a little bit more these days for your fellow Americans to regard you as “wealthy.”
Though most Americans nationwide don’t believe their state will have to raise taxes on the middle class to pay all promised pension benefits to state workers, most would rather see a reduction in those benefits than pay higher taxes.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows, when given the choice, 56% would rather reduce promised benefits for public employees than pay higher taxes to ensure that all promised benefits are paid. Twenty-one percent (21%) would rather pay higher taxes than reduce public employee benefits. Another 23% aren’t sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Though three out of four Americans nationwide acknowledge that their state is in a budget crisis, they are evenly divided when it comes to cutting the salaries of state workers.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 41% favor a 10% pay cut for all state employees in order to help reduce spending in their state. Forty-two percent (42%) are opposed to the idea while 17% more are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The Rasmussen Employment Index, which measures workers’ perceptions of the labor market each month, slipped two points in October to 71.7.
The Employment Index is still up two points from August’ recent low of 69.3, but worker confidence is down five points from the beginning of 2011 and six points from last October. Generally speaking, a decrease in the Rasmussen Employment Index suggests the upcoming government reports on job creation will be worse than prior months.
(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 survey of 8,501 working Americans was conducted in October 2011 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 .
President Obama is pushing Congress to pass his plan to give $35 billion to state and local governments to prevent layoffs of teachers and first responders such as firemen, policemen and rescue squad workers. But most Americans think state and local governments should tighten their financial belts instead.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 22% of Americans think the federal government should give states and localities $35 billion to prevent such layoffs. Nearly three times as many adults (64%) believe that the best way for state and local governments to avoid these layoffs is to cut back on other spending. Fourteen percent (14%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Voters want a simpler and fairer tax system but give generally negative reviews to flat tax proposals.
Sixty-one percent (61%) of Likely U.S. Voters agree, however, that it’s a good idea to get rid of the existing income tax code and replace it with something simpler. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 16% disagree with the idea of a simpler tax code, while 23% are not sure.
An increasing number of Republican presidential candidates are now talking about returning the U.S. monetary system to the gold standard, but voters send mixed signals about such a move. Most like the idea, though, when they’re told it would reduce government control of the economy.
Most voters don’t like the Federal Reserve, the nation’s central banking system, which at least one presidential candidate would like to abolish.
Though the government reported a modest climb in housing starts in September, the number of adults nationwide who say now is not the time to sell a home has reached an all-time high.
One-out-of three U.S. homeowners continue to say their home is worth less than what they owe on it.
Homeowners continue to worry about the short- and long-term value of their homes, with findings still below what they were two years ago.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of U.S. homeowners shows that just 16% believe their home’s value will go up over the next year. That’s up slightly from 13% in September and August and is the highest level of confidence since June. Still, this finding was above 20% for much of 2009.
Voters are closely divided over the role they want the federal government to play in the current economy, but they remain positive that bailouts are one way they don’t want to go.
Most voters like the concept behind a flat tax more than the complicated tax system the United States has today with numerous deductions and breaks for certain businesses.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 53% of Likely U.S. Voters think it’s more important for the government to treat all taxpayers equally than for the tax code to be used to encourage things like home ownership, charitable contributions and industries favored by government policy. Twenty-nine percent (29%) disagree and believe the government should use the tax code to advance its agenda in certain areas. Eighteen percent (18%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
More voters support a candidate who plans to raise taxes for the wealthiest Americans over one who promises to oppose all tax increases.
While few Americans report paying higher interest rates than they did a year ago, they still lack confidence in the Federal Reserve Board to keep interest rates down and inflation under control.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that just 33% are at least somewhat confident that the Fed will be able to keep inflation under control and interest rates down, including just seven percent (7%) who are Very Confident.
The United States is putting pressure on Europe to deal with its debt crisis as quickly as possible to avoid a global economic meltdown. Though most Americans expect at least one of the European countries to default on its debt in the next few years, half believe it’s still possible for the U.S. economy to recover even if Europe’s remains in trouble.
