Optimism for Nation’s Future Continues to Slip Among Blacks, Democrats
After reaching record highs in November, the percentages of Democrats and African-American voters who say the country is moving in the right direction continue to slip.
Public Content
Most Recent Releases
December 19, 2008
December 19, 2008
Approval of Congress Drops to Single Digits Again
Approval of Congress' job performance is down to single digits again for the first time since early September.
December 19, 2008
Most Voters Like Caroline, But Only 37% Say She Is Fit for Senate
Just 37% of U.S. voters believe Caroline Kennedy is qualified to be in the U.S. Senate, and only 16% say she would be considered as Hillary Clinton’s replacement if her last name wasn’t Kennedy.
December 19, 2008
The Other Marriage Penalty By Susan Estrich
Energy czar-designate Carol Browner's husband does it. So does Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Tom Daschle's wife. Congressman John Dingell's wife has been doing it for years.
December 18, 2008
22% Say Smoking Should Be Against The Law
Over one-out-of-five U.S. voters (22%) say the federal government should outlaw tobacco smoking, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
December 18, 2008
Only 46% Share Bush's Confidence in America's Safety
President Bush in a speech on Wednesday trumpeted his national security record in the White House, but just 46% of U.S. voters say the nation is safer today than it was before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
December 18, 2008
More Voters Unsure Which Party to Trust on Ethics
With the Blagojevich scandal unfolding in Illinois and tainting at least one senior Obama administration official, the number of voters unsure which political party they can trust to deal with government ethics and corruption has climbed to its highest level since June.
December 18, 2008
Shock-and-Awe Easing By Lawrence Kudlow
In a monetary version of shock-and-awe, the Federal Reserve unleashed a massive easing move with its Federal Open Market Committee policy announcement Tuesday -- one that represents a sea change in central-bank operations.
December 18, 2008
Should She Be Senator Kennedy? By Joe Conason
Caroline Kennedy made her political debut in Manhattan almost exactly 10 years ago, when she showed up as the surprise speaker at a "teach-in" against the impeachment of Bill Clinton at New York University Law School.
December 18, 2008
No Con Hurts Like an Affinity Con By Froma Harrop
Losing money doesn't feel very good. Losing it as victim of a con feels even worse. And being conned by a trusted friend multiplies the hurt.
December 17, 2008
State Football Roundup: Floridians More Confident About Bucs Playoff Bid than Dolphins
As the National Football League playoff picture begins to take shape, the battles for the two wild card positions in each conference are among the most intriguing stories as the season winds down. Recent Rasmussen Reports surveys in Florida, Georgia and Massachusetts examined the confidence among adults in those states in their team’s ability to make the post season tournament.
December 17, 2008
Democrats Top GOP by Five in Congressional Ballot
Democrats now lead by five percentage points in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 42% of voters would vote for their district’s Democratic candidate while 37% would choose the Republican candidate.
December 17, 2008
71% Say Tobacco Companies Not Liable for Smoker Health Problems
The Supreme Court on Monday opened up another avenue for smokers to sue tobacco companies, but 71% of U.S. voters say the companies should not be held liable for health problems that current smokers develop.
December 17, 2008
47% Willing To Pay More for ‘Green’ Goods and Services
Forty-seven percent (47%) of U.S. voters say they are willing to pay more for goods and services if it means a cleaner environment, even as President-elect Obama promises to move ahead aggressively on both the economic and ecological fronts.
December 17, 2008
The Next Senator Kennedy By Susan Estrich
The news that Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late president and much-dubbed Princess of Camelot, is seeking to replace Hillary Clinton in the United States Senate has set many tongues to wagging.
December 17, 2008
Clinging to Hope By Tony Blankley
As we enter one of America's bleaker winters -- though not so bleak as the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge nor the winter of 1941-42 after Pearl Harbor and then Wake Island -- please permit me to lapse for a moment from the secular and the material to an old memory.
December 17, 2008
That Was The Year That Was By Larry J. Sabato
We have reached the end of another election cycle, but this has been no ordinary campaign. The marathon of presidential politics was everyone's focus, and the unforgettable cast of characters was long, from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side to John McCain and Sarah Palin on the Republican.
December 16, 2008
Holiday Snapshots: Michigan Spends A Lot Less, Florida Needs To Get Going
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas – except maybe in economically hard-hit Michigan and slow-to-get-started Florida.
December 16, 2008
Most Voters Say Teachers’ Unions More Focused On Jobs Than Education
Debate ran high within Barack Obama’s transition team over whether the next secretary of Education should be a traditionalist in sync with the national teachers’ unions or a reformer who will help break the hold those unions have on Democratic Party policy. Obama's choice of Chicago School Superintendent Arne Duncan is seen as a move to bridge those competing camps.
December 16, 2008
31% Still Haven’t Started Holiday Shopping with Nine Days Left Until Christmas
With just one weekend left until Christmas Day, nearly a third of adults (31%) still have not started their holiday shopping yet. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 29% have already finished.
