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Most Recent Releases

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January 25, 2011

Voters Wary of State of the Union Spending Proposals

President Obama is expected to call for targeted new government spending for education, transportation and technological innovation in his State of the Union speech tonight, but voters are lukewarm to the idea.

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January 25, 2011

SUCCEEDING IN YOUR BUSINESS: Raising Capital Is Tough When You've Got Nothing To Lose

"For the past couple of years, I have run a brick-and-mortar retail store specializing in customized merchandise. I really want to take this business to the next level by building a website that will enable customers nationwide, and maybe even internationally, to customize our merchandise online. We have a proprietary technology for customizing our clients' orders that our attorneys tell us can be patented. We also have one of the best software developers in America wanting to work with us to develop the website.

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January 25, 2011

Just 22% Say Obama Likely to Meet 2009 Goal of Cutting Deficit in Half

Deficit reduction is expected to be a key part of President Obama’s State of the Union speech tonight as it has been since early in his presidency, but few voters expect him to hit his goal of cutting the deficit in half by the end of his first term.

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January 24, 2011

Ford Holds Slight Edge Among Likely Car Buyers

Americans are no more inclined to buy a new or used car now than they were a year ago, but among those who are in the auto market Ford comes out just ahead of its American competitors.

 

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January 20, 2011

47% Fear Government Will Help Economy Too Much

Voters still view the economy as issue number one but worry that the government will be more of a problem than a solution as it tries to fix things.

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January 20, 2011

41% Like Boycotts to Protest Bailouts

A surprising number of voters unhappy with government bailouts are ready to act themselves rather than rely on Congress.

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January 20, 2011

Gas Prices Up for Nearly All; 70% Expect $4-A-Gallon Gas by July

Nearly nine-out-of-10 Americans say they are paying more for gas than they were last summer and expect to pay even more six months from now. Most say $4-a-gallon gas is likely by July 1.

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January 19, 2011

SUCCEEDING IN YOUR BUSINESS: Three Ways Technology Is Killing Businesses

It's been more than 30 years now since the first personal computers, and more than 15 years since the Internet, gave us all a digital life. Who today can remember what it was like to do business in the days before e-mail, PowerPoint, laptops, BlackBerries, iPhones, iPods, iPads, mobile apps, Facebook and Twitter?

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January 19, 2011

Only 51% Say Home Worth More Than When They Bought It

The number of homeowners who say their home is worth more now than when they bought it has plummeted in the past two-and-a-half years.

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January 19, 2011

Americans View Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Unfavorably

Congressional Republicans are likely to take a closer look at government-backed mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as they continue to consume billions of taxpayer dollars to cover bad loans. While many Americans have benefited from Fannie and Freddie loans, a majority don't hold high opinions of either one.

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January 19, 2011

53% Say Bailouts Have Been Bad for the Country

Most voters still aren’t convinced that government bailouts have been a good idea.

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January 18, 2011

Majority Think Government Should Help Only Those Who Can Afford Their Mortgages

The debate over the federal government's role in the home mortgage market remains a stalemate even as taxpayers continue to provide billions of dollars to keep government-sponsored mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in business. At issue is whether the duo should continue to make low-cost subprime mortgages available to those who can't necessarily afford them.

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January 18, 2011

50% Say Government Puts Wall Street Ahead of Main Street

Americans feel more strongly than ever that the government is more concerned with making Wall Street firms profitable than making the financial system work for the rest of us.

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January 12, 2011

SUCCEEDING IN YOUR BUSINESS: Memo to the Incoming Congress (Part 2 of 2)

Now that we've tackled the economy, here are a few creative solutions to some of the foreign policy problems you will be facing as the 112th Congress gets under way.

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January 12, 2011

57% Expect Higher Interest Rates A Year From Now

The number of adults nationwide who expect a rise in interest rates has reached its highest level in nearly two years.

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January 11, 2011

Who Says There's No Inflation? Grocery Shoppers Think Otherwise

Most Americans continue to say they are paying more for groceries now compared to a year ago, and the number who expect to spend more a year from now is at its highest level in nearly two years.

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January 11, 2011

Many Favor Cutting Pay, Benefits of State Employees

Americans are evenly divided on the idea of a sizable pay cut for all public employees to help reduce the large budget deficits that many states are facing.

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January 10, 2011

Americans Still Lack Confidence in U.S. Banking Industry

Most Americans continue to lack confidence in the stability of the U.S. banking system, but they also remain unworried that they will lose their money due to a bank failure.

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January 10, 2011

Support for Public Employee Unions Declines

With states across the country finding that benefits for public workers are becoming nearly impossible to fund in the current economic climate, support for public employee unions has fallen.

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January 6, 2011

Americans Slightly More Confident In A Home As A Family Investment

Confidence in a house as a family's best investment appears to be inching back up, but Americans continue to say now is not a good time to sell a home in the area they live in.