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General Politics

Most Recent Releases

August 22, 2016

Most Still Oppose End to U.S. Control of Internet

Most voters continue to oppose the U.S. government’s decision to cede its last vestige of control over the internet to an international authority and worry that some countries may try to censor web content. 

August 22, 2016

Most Voters Say No to Further U.S. Nation-Building Efforts

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says he would put an end to “nation building," a term that in recent years has been used to describe stepped-up efforts to establish democracies in the Middle East by use of the U.S. military and U.S. taxpayer dollars. Few voters believe the government's nation-building efforts have been a success, and most agree with Trump that they should be ended.

August 16, 2016

Most Think Hillary Likely to Have Done Favors At State for Clinton Foundation Donors

Following news reports that federal investigators are taking a deeper look at the charitable foundation established by Bill and Hillary Clinton, voters are even more suspicious that the Democratic presidential nominee traded favors to donors while she was secretary of State. 

(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 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 11 and 14, 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.

August 15, 2016

Voters Are Much More Eager to Vote This Year

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

August 12, 2016

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.

August 11, 2016

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.

August 11, 2016

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.]

August 10, 2016

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.

August 5, 2016

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.

August 4, 2016

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.

August 3, 2016

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.

July 27, 2016

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.

July 25, 2016

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.

July 18, 2016

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.) 

(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 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.

July 15, 2016

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.

July 12, 2016

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.

July 7, 2016

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.

July 6, 2016

Most Think Government, Big Business Work Together Against America

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

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July 6, 2016

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.

July 5, 2016

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.