For the second week in a row, a generic Republican candidate edges President Obama 45% to 42% among Likely U.S. Voters in a hypothetical 2012 election matchup, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
Voters remain more conservative when it comes to money than they are on social policy, but 29% still say they are conservative in both areas.
For the first time, voters feel the agenda of congressional Republicans is nearly as extreme as that of Democrats in Congress.
Most voters agree that Barack Obama is qualified to be president, but nearly as many don’t think Vice President Joe Biden is qualified to take his place.
Mitt Romney is the only Republican 2012 hopeful that a sizable number of voters considers qualified to be president. Sarah Palin is the one they view as least qualified, but, at this early stage, many voters are still in the dark about all the possible candidates.
Voters continue to favor repeal of the national health care law passed last year and believe the legislation will increase the federal deficit.
The government announced on Friday that the nation’s unemployment rate rose to 9.1% in May, dashing high-level hopes of an economic recovery in the near future. But most Americans aren’t surprised.
Voters remain closely divided over whether their fellow countrymen get involved in politics to bring about needed change or to keep the government at bay.
Over half (53%) of Americans now believe the federal government is more of a threat to individual rights than a protector.
Voters would rather be called a good citizen than a patriot, although they see little difference between the two labels. To be a good citizen, most agree it’s more important to do church and community work than to get involved in politics.
One-in-five Americans believe individual states have the right to break away from the country, although a majority doesn’t believe it will actually happen.
Voters express strong concern about the safety of America’s computer systems and think a major cyberattack on the United States should be grounds for forceful military retaliation.
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.
Most Americans remain concerned about the federal government’s financial situation and think the majority of politicians want more of their money.
When it comes to illegal immigration, voters see the job as more to blame than the job applicant.
Voters continue to be almost evenly divided when asked if they want to reelect President Obama.
The U.S. Supreme Court late last week upheld the legality of an Arizona law cracking down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, and most voters support having a similar law in their own state.
New Jersey voters give President Obama the edge over Governor Chris Christie in a hypothetical 2012 matchup, but they think their governor is doing a better job than the president when it comes to handling current budget problems.
The national health care law is still viewed as bad for the country by nearly half of U.S. voters, and most continue to favor repeal of the controversial measure.
Voters still seem to share Ronald Reagan’s view that government is the problem, not the solution.
