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Most Recent Releases

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November 5, 2009

72% Say Health Plan Likely to Shift Employees from Private Insurance to Government Plan

Seventy-two percent (72%) of voters nationwide say passage of the proposed health care plan could lead companies to drop private health insurance coverage for their employees. Forty-eight percent (48%) say it's very likely.

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November 4, 2009

44% Say Health Care Plan Likely To Force Them To Change Insurance Coverage

Voters are now almost evenly divided over whether passage of the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats will force them to change their existing health care coverage.

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November 2, 2009

42% Support Health Care Reform After Release of Pelosi's Version

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced the House version of health care reform legislation last week, but most voters are still opposed to the effort.

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October 30, 2009

68% Oppose Cities That Give ‘Sanctuary’ To Illegal Immigrants

San Francisco has long prided itself on being a “sanctuary city” that refuses to work with federal authorities to identify and deport illegal immigrants. But now city officials are arguing over how far that policy should go when some of those illegal immigrants are charged with murder and other serious crimes.

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October 29, 2009

62% Say Congress More Responsive To Media Than To Voters

Most voters think the news media has too much power over their elected representatives in Washington and the decisions they make. It’s yet another finding that highlights the distance voters see between themselves and their government.

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October 28, 2009

56% Expect Flu Season To Be Worse Than Last Year

Americans are clearly more concerned about the severity of the flu season this year.

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October 26, 2009

42% See No Victory in Afghanistan If Pakistan Remains Unstable

With terrorist attacks an almost a daily occurrence in Pakistan as troops there fight a widening Taliban front, 42% of likely voters believe it would be impossible for the United States to win the war in Afghanistan if Pakistan remains unstable.

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October 26, 2009

57% Say Health Care Plan Will Increase Costs, 53% Say It Will Reduce Quality of Care, 45% Favor Passage

If the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats passes, 57% of voters nationwide believe it will raise the cost of health care, and 53% believe the quality of care will get worse. That’s part of the reason that just 45% support the plan. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 51% are opposed to it.

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October 23, 2009

49% Say No Health Care Reform Better Than Current Plan

Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters nationwide say that passing no health care reform bill this year would be better than passing the plan currently working its way through Congress.

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October 22, 2009

48% Say Guantanamo Prison Not Likely to Close in January

For the first time this year, a plurality (48%) of U.S. voters think it’s unlikely that the Guantanamo prison camp for suspected terrorists will be closed by January as President Obama has repeatedly vowed.

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October 22, 2009

Competition Wanted: 65% Favor Removing Anti-Trust Exemption for Health Insurance Companies

Sixty-five percent (65%) of voters nationwide say laws should be changed so that health insurance companies are subject to anti-trust regulations. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 12% disagree, while 23% are not sure.

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October 20, 2009

Most Voters Say They Know Health Care Bill Much Better Than Congress

The Senate Finance Committee has finally made its 1,500-page version of the health care reform bill public. But not to worry: As the Washington newspaper The Politico reports this morning, “It’s important to remember that the bill won’t exist in this form for long.”

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October 19, 2009

Following Senate Finance Committee Passage, 42% Support Health Care Reform

Now that the Senate Finance Committee has passed its version of health care reform, 42% of voters nationwide favor the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s down two points from a week ago and down four from the week before.

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October 16, 2009

Only 18% Expect Final Health Care Plan To Be Bipartisan

Most voters believe some kind of health care reform is needed, but they see the plan emerging from Congress as mostly what Democrats want rather than a truly bipartisan effort. Still, they’re closely divided over whether Republican opposition is just politics as usual or genuinely reflects a concern about the details of the plan.

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October 14, 2009

39% Say Health Costs Will Go Down Only When Americans Change Their Lifestyle

Some experts have argued during the current health care reform debate that behavioral changes are needed before costs will come down in America.

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October 14, 2009

30% Say Overweight Workers Should Pay More for Health Insurance

North Carolina is about to become the second state to penalize its employees for being obese, but just 30% of Americans favor making government workers who are overweight pay more for their health insurance.

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October 13, 2009

56% Say U.S. Government Policies Encourage Illegal Immigration

U.S. voters want aggressive action to restrict illegal immigration, but they don’t think immigrants should bear the brunt of the enforcement efforts on their own. Most say the federal government and those hiring illegal immigrants also need to be brought into the discussion.

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October 12, 2009

Are Economic Growth and Environmental Protection Compatible? Voters Evenly Divided

With Congress considering climate change legislation that many say will have a major impact on the U.S. economy, voters for the first time this year are almost evenly divided when asked if there is a conflict between economic growth and environmental protection.

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October 12, 2009

44% Favor Health Care Reform, 50% Oppose

Forty-four percent (44%) of voters nationwide now favor the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s little changed from a week ago. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 50% are opposed to the plan.

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October 12, 2009

45% Say U.S. Can Win War in Afghanistan, 29% Disagree

Voters aren’t brimming with confidence that the United States can win the war in Afghanistan, but, despite news reports of a worsening situation there, support for a continued U.S. military presence in the country is unchanged.