General Politics

Voters Are Much More Eager to Vote This Year

Are the stakes higher this election season? Voters seem to think so.

Even More Voters Now See America As A Divided Nation

Voters don’t share President Obama’s upbeat assessment of the nation and strongly believe the United States is coming apart. Even the majority of his fellow Democrats share that gloomy assessment.

Most Say No to Unemployment Benefits For Striking Union Workers

New Jersey last week moved a step closer to making striking union workers eligible for unemployment benefits, but most voters don't welcome that idea where they live.

Most Want to See Clinton, Trump Tax Returns, Medical Records

Republicans are again asking questions about Hillary Clinton's health, while Democrats continue to insist that Donald Trump release his tax returns. Most voters still believe major White House hopefuls should make public recent tax returns, but now most also think they should release their medical records, too.

[Rasmussen Reports analysts Amy Holmes  and Fran Coombs are available for interested media. Please call 732-776-9777 ext. 205 for interviews.]

Most Say Union Leaders Out of Touch With Members

Most voters – including those who are now or have been union members - believe the majority of union leaders are out of touch with their membership nationwide.

Most Still Say U.S. At War With Radical Islamic Terrorism

President Obama and Hillary Clinton still won't say it, but most voters continue to believe the United States is at war with radical Islamic terrorism.

Democrats More Protective of Private E-Mails Than Other Voters

Voters are more confident in the federal government these days to protect its secrets, but many, particularly Democrats, think the media shouldn’t publish the private e-mails of public officials even if they’re leaked to them.

Most Say Clinton Hiding Something in Deleted E-mails, Don’t Balk at Russia’s Help

Voters are very suspicious about the 30,000 e-mails Hillary Clinton and her staff chose to delete and not turn over to the FBI and aren’t all together sure it would be a bad thing if Russia returned those e-mails to investigators here.

Voters Turn to Cable News First; Fox Still #1

Voters still prefer cable news over the big three traditional television networks when it comes to political news, and despite the recent sexual harassment controversy that led to the resignation of its chairman, Fox News continues to lead the pack. Which political party a voter is affiliated with also remains a key indicator of his or her viewing habits.

Voters Remain Wary of Political News They’re Getting

Television, primarily cable, still reigns supreme for political news among voters, and while they remain skeptical, voters are slightly more trusting of the news they are getting this election cycle compared to past years.

Voters Question Ryan’s Motives For Blocking Clinton From Top Secrets

Voters tend to think House Speaker Paul Ryan is just making a political move with his call to block presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton from receiving intelligence briefings following the FBI's conclusion that she was “extremely careless” with classified information during her time as secretary of State. But voters trust her Republican rival Donald Trump slightly more when it comes to handling the nation's secrets.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 49% of Likely U.S. Voters believe it is more likely Ryan is playing politics rather than genuinely trying to protect the government’s secrets. Thirty-eight percent (38%) disagree and think it's more likely Ryan is honestly looking out for national security. Fourteen percent (14%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 14 and 17, 2016 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Voters to Supreme Court Justices: Shut Up About Politics

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg raised eyebrows and even drew fire from her friends at the New York Times for her recent public criticism of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Voters strongly agree that it’s bad for the high court when the justices make public political statements.

Blacks, Whites Disagree Over Whether There’s A War on Police

While police killings are escalating in America, voters are less convinced that there is an actual war on those in blue, although most still blame politicians who are critical of the police for making their jobs more dangerous. But blacks and whites sharply disagree on both questions.

Voters Oppose Government-Controlled News Coverage of Candidates

An effort by two Democrats on the Federal Election Commission to punish Fox News for including additional – but not all - candidates in its first Republican presidential debate failed in a split vote last week. Most voters agree that it’s not up to the government to ensure that the news media treats all candidates equally.

Most Think Government, Big Business Work Together Against America

Most voters feel government and big business are a deadly combination.

Most Disagree with Decision Not to Indict Clinton

Most voters disagree with FBI Director James Comey’s decision not to seek a criminal indictment of Hillary Clinton.

Voters Aren’t Happy with NAFTA, Other Free Trade Deals

Donald Trump has vowed to renegotiate NAFTA and other international free trade deals if elected president, saying they are costing U.S. jobs and killing the economy. Supporters say the trade deals lower prices for American consumers. Voters are not big fans of free trade deals like NAFTA but also strongly believe that the politicians negotiating those deals don’t care what they think anyway.

49% Say Clinton Lied To Victims’ Families About Benghazi Attack

The final report released this week by the special congressional committee investigating the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, hasn’t significantly changed voters’ opinions about how the incident will impact Hillary Clinton’s bid for the White House. Still, nearly half of voters believe the then-secretary of State lied to the victims’ families about the nature of the attack.

Most Here Aren’t Worried About ‘Brexit’

Despite the media panic and market swings that have resulted, Americans still aren’t sweating Great Britain’s decision to leave the European Union and are not particularly worried that the “Brexit” will hurt them in the pocketbook.

Most Voters Don't See Love As Answer to Terrorism

Voters like Attorney General Loretta Lynch a lot more than her predecessor Eric Holder but don’t agree with her that love is the best response to terror incidents like the one in Orlando.