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

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January 27, 2009

Predict Our Poll Results: Should the Republican Party Move Toward the Views & Values of Ronald Reagan?

From January 27-28, 2009, we are asking voters if they think that the Republican Party should move toward the views and values of Ronald Reagan in order to be successful. We want you to predict how many voters will say that, in order to be successful, the Republican Party should move toward the views and values of Ronald Reagan.

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January 27, 2009

Smoking Ban Okay, But Don’t Touch My Cell Phone or My Soda

Most Americans think it’s all right for Big Brother to crack down on smokers, but he better keep his hands off their cell phones and their sodas.

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January 27, 2009

Voters Give Mixed Reviews to Closing of Guantanamo Prison

U.S. voters are closely divided over whether the government should close the terrorist prison camp at Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba.

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January 27, 2009

Most Super Bowl Watchers Plan to Check Out ‘The Boss’

Sixty-five percent (65%) of adults who say they intend to watch the Super Bowl also plan to watch the halftime show, featuring Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bruce Springsteen.

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January 27, 2009

Out of the Closet on Proposition 8 By Debra J. Saunders

I voted against Proposition 22, the same-sex marriage ban, in 2000. I figured that if same-sex couples want to marry, why not let them? I believe in marriage. I don't want gay people to feel marginalized. But 61 percent of California voters thought otherwise.

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January 27, 2009

Getting Off the Dog Track By Froma Harrop

I know a lot of greyhounds. A greyhound track operates near my house, and many of its retirees end up in the neighborhood. Something you notice about these dogs: Greyhounds are built for speed, but once they move into a comfy home, they're in no hurry to go anywhere.

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January 26, 2009

Majority Says Supreme Court Should Look to Written Constitution for Rulings, Just 35% Think Obama Agrees

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. voters (64%) say U.S. Supreme Court decisions should be based on what is written in the Constitution, but only 35% think President Obama agrees with them.

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January 26, 2009

Most Plan on Watching Super Bowl XLIII at Home

Most Americans who plan to watch this year’s Super Bowl plan to do so at home. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of football fans found that 62% plan to watch the game at home, while 21% say they will be attending a Super Bowl party.

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January 26, 2009

44% of Democrats Say Bush Team Guilty of War Crimes

Forty-four percent (44%) of Democratic voters believe President Bush and senior members of his administration are guilty of war crimes. Only 28% of the nation’s Democrats disagree.

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January 24, 2009

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending January 23, 2009

For the time being at least, it looks like political labels don’t matter as much to Americans as they face an uncertain economic future.

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January 24, 2009

The Obama-Kennedy Connection By Michael Barone

Last Tuesday, for the 22nd time in 220 years, Americans saw the peaceful post-election transfer of power from one political party to another. In our great outdoor national ceremony, scheduled for some reason on a day that is as likely as any other to be the coldest of the year, Barack Obama took the oath as our 44thth president and spoke to the nation for 19 minutes in a speech that was far more somber than the mood of the crowd of 2 million on the Mall.

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January 23, 2009

59% Fear Too Much Government Spending Is Coming

Fifty-nine percent (59%) of U.S. voters worry that Congress and President Obama will increase government spending too much in the next year or two, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

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January 23, 2009

49% Say Obama More Liberal Than They Are

Nearly half of U.S. voters (49%) say Barack Obama is politically more liberal than they are, as the new president begins to tackle the country’s economic problems with a massive spending-and-tax-cut bill.

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January 23, 2009

55% of Voters Say U.S. and Allies are Winning War on Terror

Public confidence in the War on Terror rose for the fourth straight week, with 55% who now believe the U.S. and its allies are winning.

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January 23, 2009

Caroline's Exit By Susan Estrich

I do not know what ultimately persuaded Caroline Kennedy to withdraw her name from consideration for the U.S. Senate. Maybe it was something about taxes or a housekeeper, the two rumors that seem to have the most "juice" as I write this. To be honest, I don't care.

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January 22, 2009

Hopes for Obama High in McCain Country

Tennessee and Texas were safely in John McCain’s column on Election Day, but over two months later views of the new Democratic president and his agenda are surprisingly high in the two reliably Republican states.

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January 22, 2009

Predict Our Poll Results: Who Will Win the Super Bowl?

From Thursday through Sunday, we are interviewing football fans about which team is most likely to win the Super Bowl this year. We’d like you to predict what percentage of football fans will say the Arizona Cardinals or the Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to win the Super Bowl.

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January 22, 2009

Congressional Approval Inches Up With New Year

Fourteen percent (14%) of likely voters now give Congress good or excellent marks, representing the legislature’s highest approval ratings since last February.

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January 22, 2009

Happy Landing in the Hudson Boosts Confidence in Flying

Americans are more confident about flying in the wake of the heroic crash landing of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River which resulted in no loss of life.

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January 22, 2009

What Bipartisan Means Now By Joe Conason

On the eve of Barack Obama's ascension to power, at candlelit dinners across Washington sponsored by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, the designated theme was bipartisanship. From the speeches delivered to the choice of honorees, which included Sen. John McCain, the former secretary of state Colin Powell, and the incoming vice president, Joe Biden, the new administration expressed its fond wish for a return to the respect and civility of a bygone era.