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January 30, 2015

Most Eat Fast Food For Convenience

Half of Americans say they rarely eat fast food, but for those who do, it’s not necessarily because they like it.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 48% of American Adults eat fast food at least once a week, with 14% who eat it two or more times weekly. Fifty percent (50%) say they never touch the stuff, although that’s down from 56% in July 2013.  (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 January 22-23, 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.

January 30, 2015

GOP Voters Agree With Romney on Need for A New Face

Republican voters agree with Mitt Romney that their party should look for someone new to run in 2016.

In announcing his decision today not to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, Romney said:  “I believe that one of our next generation of Republican leaders, one who may not be as well known as I am today, one who has not yet taken their message across the country, one who is just getting started, may well emerge as being better able to defeat the Democrat nominee. In fact, I expect and hope that to be the case.”

January 30, 2015

Katy Perry, Ads Are Big Draws for Many Super Bowl Fans

While the Super Bowl may be the biggest sporting event of the year, a sizable number of viewers are more attracted to the big budget commercials and the halftime show by pop star Katy Perry.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 38% of Americans who plan to watch the Super Bowl think the commercials are more interesting than the game itself. This is up four points from last year. Half (51%) of viewers find the game itself to be more interesting, but this finding has been trending downwards since 2011 when 58% felt that way. Eleven percent (11%) 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 558 Adults Planning to Watch the Super Bowl was conducted on January 28-29, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

January 30, 2015

How Do Americans Feel About Women, Gays in the Pulpit?

Americans support women in the pulpit and in senior leadership positions within the church. But they are more hesitant when it comes to supporting openly gay and lesbian religious leaders.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 60% of American Adults favor women in the pulpit, while just 16% are opposed. Twenty-five percent (25%) 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 survey of 800 Adults was conducted on January 26-27, 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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January 30, 2015

My Mistakes About 2016 Presidential Race by Michael Barone

Some columnists write New Year's columns chronicling the mistakes over the last year. I don't, but as this January has rolled on, it's become clear I've made many about the 2016 presidential race.

January 30, 2015

Voters Think Obama Getting Tougher With His Opponents

While voters are more confident in the economy and the direction of the country, attitudes about the quality of President Obama's leadership remain basically unchanged. Voters do recognize, though, that the president is getting more confrontational with his political opponents.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 43% of Likely U.S. Voters think the president is doing a good or excellent job. This is up five points from the three-year low found in November, but his positives have generally run in the mid-40s in monthly surveys since he took office. Forty-one percent (41%) now say the president is doing a poor job, in line with findings for the past three years. (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 Likely Voters was conducted on January 27-28, 2014 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.

January 29, 2015

Americans Still Prefer Eating at Home

Americans are eating out more but still enjoying it less than a good meal at home.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 36% of American Adults rarely or never go out to a restaurant for dinner, but that’s down from 41% two years ago and a high of 47% in July 2012. Sixty-one percent (61%) say they eat out at least once a week, with 20% who do so two or more times weekly. (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 January 22-23, 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.

January 29, 2015

Do Democratic Voters Like Their Party Leaders?

Democratic voters have their complaints with Washington, D.C., but they remain more content with their party’s political representation than Republican voters are.

Here are some findings from a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Democratic Voters:

-- Forty-six percent (46%) believe Democrats in Congress have done a good job representing Democratic values over the past several years. By comparison, just 24% of Republican voters think their representatives have done a good job upholding party values. But now 42% of Democrats think their legislators have lost touch with Democratic voters throughout the nation, up from 33% last September. (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 648 Likely Democratic Voters was conducted on January 18-19, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

January 29, 2015

Voters Don’t Want Next Attorney General To Be Like Holder

Loretta Lynch is soon likely to be the most powerful cop in America, and a big chunk of voters don’t even know who she is. But one thing they do know: They don’t want her to be like Eric Holder, the current U.S. attorney general.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 33% of Likely U.S. Voters have a favorable opinion of the federal prosecutor from Brooklyn, N.Y., whom President Obama has nominated to be the next attorney general. Twenty-nine percent (29%) view her unfavorably. This includes 11% with a Very Favorable opinion and 12% with a Very Unfavorable one. But 38% don’t know enough about her to voice any kind of opinion. (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 Likely Voters was conducted on January 27-28, 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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January 29, 2015

The Internet of Every Damn Thing By Froma Harrop

Federal Trade Commission head Edith Ramirez put the matter plainly: "If I'm wearing a fitness band that tracks how many calories I consume, I wouldn't want to share that data with an insurance company." 

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January 29, 2015

For Republicans, a 2016 Tie Is a Win By Kyle Kondik

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, elected to a third term earlier this month, often notes that the presidential cycle is harder for his party than midterms because the electorate is more diverse and Democratic. “For us to win a presidential election, we have to be just about perfect, and the Democrats have to be good,” he told Kyle Cheney of Politico.

January 28, 2015

Voters More Skeptical Of Right-To-Work Laws

As Kentucky, Illinois and several other states consider adopting right-to-work laws, voters aren’t as convinced that such laws which ban compulsory union dues have a positive impact on state economies. However, those who currently live in right-to-work states paint a rosier picture.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 35% of Likely U.S. Voters believe right-to-work laws are good for a state’s economy. That’s down 10 points from December 2012. But 26% now say such laws are bad for a state’s economy, up from 22% two years ago. Eleven percent (11%) think right-to-work laws have no impact, while a sizable 28% 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 800 Likely Voters was conducted on January 25-26, 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.

January 28, 2015

35% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Thirty-five percent (35%) 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 January 25. 

This finding is up five points from the week before and is the highest level of confidence since March 2013. The number of voters who think the country is heading in the right direction was below 30% most weeks for the past year.

(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 2,800 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from January 19-25, 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.

January 28, 2015

Are GOP Voters to the Right of Their Representatives in Congress?

Republicans are definitely a conservative bunch. Consider these findings from a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Republican Voters:

-- Sixty percent (60%) want to repeal the national health care law and start over, compared to 30% of all voters. Only 34% of Republicans want to go through the law piece by piece to improve it.

-- Just 13% think Congress should take no action to stop President Obama’s executive order protecting up to five million illegal immigrants from deportation. Eighty-two percent (82%) of Republicans say Congress should find ways to stop it. Among all voters, 43% want to let the president’s action stand, while 48% want Congress to stop it.

-- Eighty-three percent (83%) of GOP voters agree with the late Ronald Reagan that big government is the problem, not the solution. Just seven percent (7%) say it’s the solution instead.

-- Is America overtaxed? Eighty-two percent (82%) of Republicans think so. Only 11% disagree. (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 787 Likely Republican Voters was conducted on January 18-19, 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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January 28, 2015

Owning Ideas by John Stossel

For most of history, people suffered in miserable poverty.

Then, in a few hundred years, some new ideas made life hugely better for billions of us -- things like running water, the printing press, the steam engine, electricity, the Internet.

We want people to keep coming up with new and better ideas. But there's a problem: Why would you bother to spend years inventing something if other people can just steal your idea? Who will devote years and millions of dollars to making a big movie? Or a dozen years and billions of dollars to bringing a new drug to market? Almost no one.

COPYRIGHT 2014 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS INC.

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

January 28, 2015

Congress’s Approval Up Slightly in New Term

Voters are ever-so-slightly happier with the new Congress, although that’s not saying much.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 11% of Likely U.S. Voters think the current Congress is doing a good or excellent job, up from seven percent (7%) at the end of 2014 and the highest level of support since October 2012. It's the first time, in fact, that Congress' positive ratings have risen out of single digits in a year-and-a-half of monthly surveys. Fifty-eight percent (58%) still rate Congress poorly, but that's down nine points from a month ago and is a two-year low. (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 Likely Voters was conducted on January 25-26, 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.

January 27, 2015

Voters Believe U.S. Can Kick Foreign Oil Dependency

In his State of the Union address, President Obama said "the U.S. is as free from the grip of foreign oil as we've been in almost 30 years."  More voters agree the country is working hard to develop its energy resources, and more than half still believe the country can end its dependence on foreign oil.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 30% of Likely U.S. Voters now think the country does enough to develop its own gas and oil resources. This is up five points from May and is the highest finding in nearly four years. A plurality (48%) still disagrees, although this is the lowest finding to date. Twenty-two percent (22%) 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 national survey of 800 Likely Voters was conducted on January 21-22, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology

January 27, 2015

Super Bowl Viewers Not Buying Brady's, Belichick’s Story

Had enough “Deflategate” yet? Americans who plan to watch the Super Bowl think the New England Patriots are hiding something, but they also don't believe the deflated footballs in question made any difference in the lopsided AFC Championship Game.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of Adults who plan to watch this year’s Super Bowl believe the Patriots deflated footballs against the Indianapolis Colts in the game just over a week ago. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 24% don’t believe the Patriots did what they are being accused of, but just as many (23%) 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 569 Adults Planning to Watch the Super Bowl was conducted on January 24-25, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

January 27, 2015

Hillary’s Still The One for Most Democrats

The race to be the Democratic Party’s 2016 presidential nominee is still Hillary Clinton’s to lose.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey asked Likely Democratic Voters to choose among six of the early presidential hopefuls from their party as if their state primary were held right now. Clinton remains far and away the leader with 59% support. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is in second place, but she earns just 12% of the vote.

The remaining four candidates each get single-digit support: Vice President Joe Biden (6%), Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (4%), former Virginia Senator Jim Webb (3%) and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley (2%). Five percent (5%) like some other candidate, and nine percent (9%) 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 648 Likely Democratic Voters was conducted on January 18-19, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 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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January 27, 2015

Free Tuition at Community College Should Just Be the Start By Froma Harrop

It's good that many Republicans have joined Democrats in declaring the growth of economic inequality a problem. And some are even looking to solutions beyond making the rich richer through tax cuts. As we've seen, rising stock prices do not necessarily lead to jobs -- for Americans, that is.