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                            April 3, 2015Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 40%, Democrats 36%
Republicans have jumped out to a four-point lead on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending April 2 finds that 40% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Republican candidate in their district's congressional race if the election were held today, while 36% would choose the Democrat instead. Twenty-three percent (23%) prefer a third-party candidate or are undecided.
The week before, Republicans led by just a point. The Democratic candidate first fell to a low of 36% in early March, and it was the lowest level of support for the party in three years. The GOP last hit a low of 36% a year ago. Still, both parties have struggled to get out of the 30s for most of 2015, and the gap between the two generally has been two points or less most weeks for more than a year now.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 
The national telephone survey of 2,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from March 29-April 2, 2015. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Demographic details and trends for this survey are available for Platinum Members only.

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                            April 3, 2015Do NCAA Fans Think Kentucky Will Go All The Way?
The University of Kentucky Wildcats are trying to achieve something no team has since 1976, but do March Madness followers think they can do it?
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 49% of American Adults who are following the men’s NCAA basketball tournament think Kentucky, who narrowly beat Notre Dame last week to advance to the Final Four, will win the championship. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 620 Adults Following the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was conducted on March 31-April 1, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            April 3, 2015Church Attendance Down This Easter
Easter remains one of the most important Christian holidays, but attendance at religious services is likely to be down this year.
Thirty-nine percent (39%) of all Americans consider Easter, the day Christians believe marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ, to be one of our nation’s most important holidays. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 19% think it’s among the least important holidays, while 38% place it somewhere in between. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 800 American Adults was conducted on March 31- April 1, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.
April 3, 2015Indiana Religious Freedom Act in Accord With Traditional American Toleration By Michael Barone
There has been a great ruckus about Indiana's recently passed religious freedom law. Some, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, see it as endorsing anti-gay bigotry. Democratic Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy has banned state employees from traveling to Indiana, even though Connecticut has a similar law even more favorable to claims of religious objectors. Perhaps he should ban state employees from remaining inside Connecticut.   

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                            April 3, 2015America Is Still A Strongly Christian Nation
Two-out-of-three Americans still believe the central tenets of Christianity, that Jesus Christ was the son of God who was resurrected on Easter Day. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 800 American Adults was conducted on March 31- April 1, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            April 2, 2015Is The U.S. Government Too Sensitive to Minorities?
Just over half of voters think anti-gay discrimination is a problem in America, but many also still believe the government is oversensitive to the concerns of minority groups.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 54% of Likely U.S. Voters consider discrimination against gay and lesbian people to be a serious problem in America today, although only 23% consider it a Very Serious one. Forty-three percent (43%) do not think such discrimination is a serious problem, with 18% who say it’s Not At All Serious. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted March 30-31, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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                            April 2, 2015Democrats See Mexico As Better Ally Than Israel
Americans continue to view Canada and Great Britain as our best friends, but Israel has tumbled down the list. Democrats by a 10-point margin now see Mexico as a better ally than the Jewish state. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 
The survey of 800 Adults was conducted on March 29-30, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
April 2, 2015Suing Over Soft Sexism Can Hold Women Back by Froma Harrop
Ellen Pao's gender discrimination suit against her employer contained the juicy elements that captivate us. The plaintiff was a Harvard-educated lawyer suing for a healthy $16 million. The defendant was Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the high-powered venture capital firm. The locale was Silicon Valley, where many complain that the big fortunes go overwhelmingly to men. And Pao's evidence resided largely in gray areas, where things said and things done could be interpreted in several ways.

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                            April 2, 2015Most Still Favor Tax Deductions Over Lower Rates
Americans aren't keen on letting go of their tax deductions but still like the idea of everyone paying the same percentage of their income in taxes.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 21% of American Adults think all tax deductions should be eliminated in order to lower tax rates. Fifty-two percent (52%) don’t want to sacrifice deductions for lower tax rates. Twenty-seven percent (27%) are not sure. These attitudes have changed little in annual surveys since April 2009. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 800 American Adults was conducted on March 23-24, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.
April 2, 2015Notes on the State of Politics By Kyle Kondik
The retirement of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) last week gives Republicans something they have been lacking in the early stages of this Senate cycle: a 50-50 shot at picking up a seat currently held by a Democrat.
True, Reid’s poor approval numbers meant he was going to be a target of Republicans anyway. But he’s also a proven commodity who would have had the power of incumbency. In our view, the open-seat race is now a Toss-up, as opposed to the prior rating of Leans Democratic.

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                            April 1, 2015Obama’s Full-Month Approval Holds Steady 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. 
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
Daily tracking results are collected via telephone surveys of 500 likely voters per night. The monthly numbers in this article are based on approximately 10,000 interviews each month with likely voters. The margin of sampling error is less than +/- 1 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

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                            April 1, 2015Do You Want A Religious Freedom Law In Your State?
Most voters still oppose a religious freedom law in their state like the one adopted in Indiana. Yet despite concerns that such laws may lead to discrimination against gays and lesbians, voters also continue to strongly defend the right of a Christian photographer to turn down a same-sex wedding. Many also believe the media portray religious freedom laws unfairly.
Arkansas this week came a step closer to joining the 20 states that have laws prohibiting the government from forcing businesses to provide services they find objectionable on religious grounds, but 53% of Likely U.S. Voters oppose such a law in their state. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 35% favor a law that would allow businesses to refuse service to customers for religious reasons. Twelve percent (12%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The national telephone survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on March 30-31, 2015. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.
April 1, 2015The Next Bubble By John Stossel
They're doing it again!
When the last housing bubble burst, politicians blamed "greedy banks." They said mortgage companies lent money recklessly, making loans to people with dubious credit, for down payments as low as 3 percent.

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                            April 1, 2015Monica Lewinsky – Consensual Adult or Victim?
Monica Lewinsky, the White House intern who left a stain on Bill Clinton’s presidency, is now using her experiences to be a campaigner against bullying. Looking back on the sex scandal that led to Clinton’s impeachment nearly 20 years ago, do Americans consider her a victim or a willing accomplice? (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 26 and 29, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            March 31, 2015More Voters Think They’re On The Same Page with Congress
While Republicans now run both houses of Congress, GOP voters remain critical of the legislators but not as much as Democrats and unaffiliated voters are.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 24-25, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
March 31, 2015Privacy vs. Security: How the Debate Changes by Froma Harrop
The pilot who crashed the Germanwings plane, taking 150 lives, was too ill to work, according to doctors' notes found at his home. But Germany's strict medical privacy laws barred the doctors from conveying that judgment to the airline.

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                            March 31, 2015Voters Say Big Government Is Back
Bill Clinton made news when he declared nearly 20 years ago that the era of big government is over. Voters still prefer smaller, cheaper government but clearly recognize that Barack Obama, the next Democrat after Clinton to be in the White House, has reversed that trend.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 12% of Likely U.S. Voters now agree that “the era of big government is over.” That’s down from 18% last October and ties the lowest finding last measured in February of last year. Most voters (55%) disagree with that assessment, but a sizable 32% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted on March 22-23, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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                            March 30, 201529% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction
Twenty-nine percent (29%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending March 26. 
This finding is up two points from the previous week which marked the lowest level of confidence this year.  The number of voters who think the country is heading in the right direction has been 30% or higher most weeks since mid-December after generally being in the mid- to high 20s since mid-June 2013.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 
The national telephone survey of 2,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from March 22-26, 2015. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
March 30, 2015Where the Red Line Came From -- Before it Was Crossed By Michael Barone
There are still nearly two years left in Barack Obama's presidency, but historians looking back on his record in foreign policy will surely identify one costly error: his refusal to follow through on the implied threat in stating that the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons would be a "red line."

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                            March 30, 2015Voters Vote No on Ex-POW Bergdahl
Just over half of voters still disagree with the Obama administration’s decision to swap several Taliban prisoners for POW Bowe Bergdahl in Afghanistan.
The Army announced last week that Bergdahl will be charged with desertion as news reports have suggested since shortly after his release last May. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 30% of Likely U.S. Voters agree with the decision to trade Bergdahl for five Taliban leaders who were being held at the Guantanamo Bay terrorist prison camp.   Fifty-one percent (51%) disagree with that decision. Nineteen percent (19%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 26 and 29, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.