41% Favor High-Speed Rail Plan, 46% Oppose
Voters aren’t paying much attention to the president’s plan for building a high-speed rail system, but there is a huge partisan gap in perceptions of the plan.
General Politics
Most Recent Releases
February 14, 2011
February 12, 2011
76% Say It’s Good for America When Dictators Replaced by Leaders Chosen in Free Elections
From the beginning of the American experiment, people in the United States have viewed the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence as a guiding light to the world. Just as importantly, Americans tend to think our nation will be better off if others follow that example.
February 10, 2011
62% Still Favor Death Penalty for Fort Hood Killer
Voters are now more inclined to view the November 2009 massacre at Fort Hood, Texas as a criminal act rather than terrorism, but they feel just as strongly that the Muslim U.S. Army major charged with the killings should be executed if convicted in his upcoming trial.
February 10, 2011
48% Say Shifting Military Money To Border Security Would Make America Safer
Nearly half of U.S. voters think America would be a safer place with less spending on the military and more money put into securing the borders.
February 9, 2011
Just 45% Know That U.S. Has World’s Biggest Economy
The United States of America boasts the world’s largest economy, but fewer than half the nation’s voters recognize this fact.
February 9, 2011
80% Say Terrorists Are Bigger Threat to U.S. Than Traditional Wars
While U.S. troops are fighting daily in Afghanistan, the nation's longest-running war, voters overwhelmingly think terrorism is a bigger threat to the country than traditional wars.
February 8, 2011
60% Recognize That Government Spending Has Increased Every Year Since 1954
In 1954, the average new house cost just over $10,000, a new car was under $2,000, gasoline was under 30 cents a gallon, and you could buy a magazine for 20 cents.
February 8, 2011
Voters Still Wary of Changes in Egypt, But 68% Say U.S. Should Not Get Involved
Voters aren’t convinced that changing the government in Egypt is good for the United States, but they still feel strongly that America should stay out of the political crisis engulfing its Middle Eastern ally.
February 8, 2011
27% See UN As U.S. Ally, 15% As An Enemy
The United Nations has been conspicuously absent from the diplomatic activity surrounding the political crisis in Egypt, but few U.S. voters lack an opinion of the New York-based international organization.
February 7, 2011
68% Believe Government and Big Business Work Together Against the Rest of Us
President Obama told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce today that government and business “can and must work together."
February 7, 2011
Just Over Half Aware U.S. Spends Six Times as Much on Defense As Any Other Nation
Just 56% of Likely U.S. Voters recognize that the United States spends about six times as much on national defense as any other nation in the world. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 13% disagree and say it’s not true, while a sizable 31% are not sure.
February 5, 2011
Military Aid to Iceland? Most Americans Say Yes
The United States has military defense treaties with over 50 nations around the globe from obvious ones like the United Kingdom and Germany to less predictable ones like Costa Rica and Iceland. What do Americans think we should do if these countries are attacked?
February 4, 2011
Half Want Troops Out of Europe, Japan, But South Korea's Another Story
A plurality of voters think the United States should remove troops from Western Europe and Japan and let them defend themselves. But when it comes to South Korea, most voters think we should stay.
February 4, 2011
32% of Voters Are Both Fiscal and Social Conservatives
In today’s economic climate, few voters consider themselves liberals on fiscal policy issues, but there’s a little more divergence of opinion when it comes to social issues.
February 3, 2011
When It Comes to Military Strategy, Voters Put American Interests Ahead of World Peace
Most U.S. voters believe the country’s military strategy should focus on defending the United States and its interests, but a sizable number thinks the strategy should concentrate on keeping the world peaceful instead. Either way, voters see economic challenges as a much bigger threat to the United States than challenges on the military front.
February 2, 2011
65% Say U.S. Has World's Most Powerful Military
Most U.S. voters believe America's military is the most powerful in the world.
February 1, 2011
Voters Underestimate How Much U.S. Spends on Defense
Voters are fairly evenly divided as to whether the federal government spends too much or too little on national defense, but most also appear to dramatically underestimate how much is actually spent.
January 31, 2011
GOP Voters Want Presidential Candidate With Private Sector Experience
Most Republican Primary voters are looking for experience in both the private sector and government in a potential presidential candidate. Private sector experience carries a bit more weight. They are also looking for someone who shares their views rather than simply picking someone who is electable.
January 31, 2011
53% Support Decision to Abandon Color-Coded Threat Alerts
For many Americans, the national color-coded terror alert system had become little more than a joke, so it's not surprising that a majority of voters agree with the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to abandon that system in favor of more specific warnings. A plurality also approves of the department’s reported interest in focusing more security on rail, ships and mass transit.
January 30, 2011
46% of GOP Primary Voters Who Favor Palin Might Back Third-Party Option If She Isn’t Nominated
Nearly half of the Republican Primary voters who support Sarah Palin say they are at least somewhat likely to vote for a third-party candidate if she does not win the GOP presidential nomination.
