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

General Lifestyle

Most Recent Releases

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February 24, 2009

51% Oppose Outdoor Smoking Ban

While an increasing number of states have banned smoking in public places like bars and restaurants, most Americans (51%) don’t think smoking should be banned in all public air spaces, such as beaches and parks.

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February 19, 2009

40% Say Marijuana Should Be Legalized

The marijuana debate has come a long way since “Reefer Madness.”

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February 17, 2009

28% Think Pit Bulls Should Be Banned

Pit bull attacks on humans seem to be an all-too-common news subject, but only 28% of Americans think the dogs should be banned.

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February 10, 2009

42% Have Avoided Peanut Butter Since Salmonella Outbreak

Forty-two percent (42%) of Americans say they have avoided eating peanut butter since the nationwide salmonella outbreak started making headlines in mid-January.

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February 5, 2009

69% Would Rather Cut Mail Delivery Than Pay More for Stamps

The U.S. Postal Service is facing a budget squeeze as customers flock to the Internet and has proposed cutting mail delivery back from six-days-a-week to five. Sixty-nine percent (69%) of Americans say five-day-a-week service is preferable to them than another increase in postal rates.

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February 3, 2009

62% on Social Networks Have Reconnected With Someone From Their Past

Most American adults under 30 (54%) belong to an Internet social networking site such as Facebook or MySpace.

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January 31, 2009

Telephone Tops The Ways We Talk Together

Despite the Internet’s rise in popularity, a new Rasmussen Reports survey finds that a plurality of adults (44%) spend more time talking to others on the phone than through other types of communication. Less than a third (31%) mostly converse with others in person, while 17% say they communicate by text message or e-mail.

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January 27, 2009

Smoking Ban Okay, But Don’t Touch My Cell Phone or My Soda

Most Americans think it’s all right for Big Brother to crack down on smokers, but he better keep his hands off their cell phones and their sodas.

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January 22, 2009

Happy Landing in the Hudson Boosts Confidence in Flying

Americans are more confident about flying in the wake of the heroic crash landing of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River which resulted in no loss of life.

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January 16, 2009

39% Say It’s Too Easy to Get an Abortion in the U.S.

Thirty-nine percent (39%) of American adults say it is too easy to get an abortion in the United States, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

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January 14, 2009

80% Say Parents Should Teach Their Children about Sex

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced last week that there has been a major increase in the birth rate among teens in 26 states throughout the country, but 80% of adults still say children should be taught about sex by their parents rather than the schools.

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January 6, 2009

47% Say Children Will Not Be Better Off Than Their Parents

Forty-seven percent (47%) of American adults say today’s children will not be better off than their parents.

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December 29, 2008

60% Are Comfortable Using Credit Cards Online

Three-out-of-five U.S. adults (60%) say they are comfortable using a credit card for online purchases despite recent news reports of identity theft and poor computer security.

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December 28, 2008

Catholics, Protestants Practice Faith in Different Ways

While Catholics and Protestants both fall under the broad umbrella of Christianity, they practice their faith in different ways.

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December 27, 2008

83% Concerned with Identity Theft

While more and more Americans shop on the Internet, 83% of U.S. adults are still concerned about having their identities stolen online. According to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, just 15% are not concerned.

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December 26, 2008

Just 45% of Regular Churchgoers Have Close Friends Who Avoid Church

Martin Luther King, Jr. once commented that the Sunday morning Church hour was the most segregated hour in America. Forty years later, as the nation prepares to inaugurate its first African-American President, there are still plenty of predominantly white and black Churches.

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December 24, 2008

61% Say Life in U.S. Would Be Better if More Lived as Christians

With the Christmas season upon us, 61% of adults nationwide say life in the United States would be better if more Americans lived as Christians.

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December 23, 2008

Christians at Christmas

Forty-four percent (44%) of America’s adults attend Christian church services at least twice a month, and 92% of these regular churchgoers believe the God of the Bible is the one true God.

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December 18, 2008

22% Say Smoking Should Be Against The Law

Over one-out-of-five U.S. voters (22%) say the federal government should outlaw tobacco smoking, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

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December 17, 2008

47% Willing To Pay More for ‘Green’ Goods and Services

Forty-seven percent (47%) of U.S. voters say they are willing to pay more for goods and services if it means a cleaner environment, even as President-elect Obama promises to move ahead aggressively on both the economic and ecological fronts.