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

Politics

Most Recent Releases

White letter R on blue background
April 5, 2011

48% Say Their Views Closer to Tea Party Than Congress

In the ongoing budget-cutting debate in Washington, some congressional Democrats have accused their Republican opponents of being held captive by the Tea Party movement, but voters like the Tea Party more than Congress.

White letter R on blue background
April 5, 2011

Reading the Signs on the Road to Obama’s Reelection

President Obama on Monday became the first officially declared candidate for the 2012 presidential race, and the early signs suggest it could be a competitive contest.

White letter R on blue background
April 4, 2011

Voters Strongly Believe The Average Member of Congress Doesn't Think Like They Do

Voters continue to view the Republican agenda in Congress as more mainstream than the agenda of the Democrats. But only one-in-four voters think the average member of either party shares the same ideology they do.

White letter R on blue background
April 4, 2011

53% Say Even GOP Spending Cuts Won't Dent The Deficit

Capitol Hill is deadlocked over how deep to cut the current federal budget with Republicans hoping to cut nearly twice as much as Democrats. Yet while voters like the idea of big spending cuts, they don’t think even the GOP cuts will make much of a difference.

White letter R on blue background
April 3, 2011

Ratings For Obama’s National Security Performance Fall to New Low

Although President Obama made an address to the nation Monday night to explain his decision to commit U.S. military forces to Libya, fewer voters than ever give him positive grades on his handling of national security issues.

White letter R on blue background
April 2, 2011

Obama’s Full-Month Rating Down Two Points in March

When tracking President Obama’s job approval on a daily basis, people sometimes get so caught up in the day-to-day fluctuations that they miss the bigger picture. To look at the longer-term trends, Rasmussen Reports compiles the numbers on a full-month basis, and the results can be seen in the graphics below.

White letter R on blue background
April 2, 2011

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending April 2, 2011

With America bogged down in Afghanistan, the nation’s longest-running war, President Obama made a nationally televised address Monday night to explain his decision to use U.S. military forces in Libya, too.

White letter R on blue background
April 1, 2011

57% Okay With Government Shutdown If It Leads to Deeper Budget Cuts

A majority of voters are fine with a partial shutdown of the federal government if that’s what it takes to get deeper cuts in federal government spending.

White letter R on blue background
April 1, 2011

39% Say Legal System Worries Too Much About Individual Rights At Expense of National Security

Voters still tend to think America’s legal system puts too much emphasis on the rights of the individual when it comes to national security and public safety.

White letter R on blue background
March 31, 2011

Americans Still Divided Over Legalizing, Taxing Marijuana

Americans, as they have been for some time, are closely divided over whether the government should use marijuana to help solve the country’s fiscal problems.

White letter R on blue background
March 31, 2011

Just 21% Say U.S. Has Clearly Defined Mission in Libya

Despite President Obama’s address to the nation Monday night, most voters still aren’t clear about why the U.S. military is engaged in Libya.

White letter R on blue background
March 30, 2011

Voter Views on Libya Show Little Change

President Obama’s address to the nation Monday night doesn’t appear to have made voters more confident about his handling of the situation in Libya, nor has it made them feel more strongly that Libya is important to U.S. national security.

White letter R on blue background
March 29, 2011

55% Have a Favorable Opinion of Hillary Clinton

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is viewed by many as the chief advocate of U.S. military intervention in Libya, and voters view her slightly less favorably than they did just over a month ago.

White letter R on blue background
March 29, 2011

35% Say U.S. Should Phase Out Nuclear Power Over Next 50 Years

As the Japanese continue to struggle with the damaged Fukushima nuclear facility, support for the building of nuclear plants in the United States has fallen to a new low. One-third of voters now favor phasing out nuclear power in this country.

White letter R on blue background
March 29, 2011

Only 16% Think Country Would Be Better Off If Most Incumbents in Congress Reelected

Voters are less supportive than ever of congressional incumbents and fewer than one-out-of-three think their own representative is the best person for the job.

White letter R on blue background
March 28, 2011

Voters Less Concerned About Threat of Japanese Radiation

Though American voters are still following news of the nuclear plant crisis in Japan, they are less worried about radiation reaching the United States.

White letter R on blue background
March 28, 2011

69% Still Angry At Government's Current Policies

Midterm elections and a change of power in the U.S. House of Representatives haven't lowered the level of voter discontent with the federal government and the leaders of the two major political parties.

White letter R on blue background
March 26, 2011

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending March 25, 2011

Americans began the week finding themselves in military action in yet another Islamic country.

White letter R on blue background
March 25, 2011

21% Say Today’s Children Will Be Better Off Than Their Parents

Although today’s children are the future of our nation, most Americans continue to believe they won’t be better off than their parents.

White letter R on blue background
March 25, 2011

Americans Show Little Support for Defending Some Treaty Partners

The United States has defense treaties with a number of nations around the globe, and Rasmussen Reports is asking Americans periodically how they feel about going to bat for these countries if they're attacked. On the latest list of nine countries, most Americans support the United States helping to defend just two of them militarily, Panama and the Bahamas.