Beware of the new elites who are rewriting the rule book, so that special privilege takes the place of hard work, Scott Rasmussen warns in his latest weekly newspaper column. “The United States is supposed to be a land of opportunity where everyone can pursue their dreams,” he writes. “But those on top today are busy rewriting the rules to limit entry into their club.”
Some things don’t seem to change. Unlike President Obama’s approval ratings which jumped after his reelection, Vice President Joe Biden’s favorables remain largely the same as they’ve been for the last four years.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 46% of Likely U.S. Voters have a somewhat favorable opinion of Biden, while 48% regard him unfavorably. That includes 22% with a Very Favorable view of the vice president and 35% with a Very Unfavorable one. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 12-13, 2013 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.
Voter perceptions of how President Obama is handling national security have dropped to their lowest level since October.
Forty-six percent (46%) of Likely U.S. Voters now give the president good or excellent marks for his handling of national security issues, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. That's down five points from late last month. Thirty-three percent (33%) rate the president's performance in this area as poor. generally consistent with views since late 2010. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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(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 12-13, 2013 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.
Half of voters don’t like the men in charge of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters have an unfavorable opinion of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, while 49% feel that way about House Speaker John Boehner. This includes 32% with a Very Unfavorable view of Reid and 30% with a Very Unfavorable opinion of Boehner. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
If you drove to work today, did you worry about too few cars on the road? Do you wish more people were waiting in line at the public tennis courts? Are you eager to see new housing developments replace your favorite truck farm?
If your answer to all three questions is "no," you're like most people. And America's falling fertility rate would seem to have its benefits. But if you're scraping for new ways to undermine Social Security and Medicare, portraying this demographic reality as a major disaster offers new opportunity to stampede the public into turning against these entitlements.
James Carville famously kept the 1992 Clinton campaign on message with the simple refrain, "It's the economy, stupid!" That's just as true for politicians today as it was two decades ago.
More Americans say they are paying higher interest rates.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that one-in-five adults (20%) now say they are paying higher interest rates than they were a year ago. That's up three points from last month and the highest number since September. Seventeen percent (17%) say they are paying lower rates, while 56% say their rates are about the same as 12 months ago. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on March 11-12, 2013 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.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and the Sunshine State’s newest senator, Marco Rubio, are both mentioned as possible 2016 Republican presidential candidates, and they’re popular choices right now as far as GOP voters are concerned. But Rubio has a slight advantage for now over Bush and another possible contender, Senator Rand Paul.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 68% of Likely Republican Voters have a favorable opinion of Bush, while 22% view him unfavorably. This includes 28% with a Very Favorable regard for the son of President George H.W. Bush and the brother of President George W. Bush. Only seven percent (7%) have a Very Unfavorable opinion of him. (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 12-13, 2013 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.
Republican Senator Rand Paul drew the criticism of two senior GOP senators, John McCain and Lindsey Graham, for his recent filibuster forcing the Obama administration to say categorically it would not use drones to attack U.S. citizens in this country. But Republicans now have a much more favorable view of Paul than of former presidential candidate McCain.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 67% of Likely GOP Voters have a favorable opinion of the first-term Kentucky senator. That’s up nine points from 58% less than a month ago and includes 35% with a Very Favorable opinion. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 12-13, 2013 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.
Someone needs to tell Paul Ryan that his party -- and the economic platform of austerity and plutocracy he crafted for it -- lost a national election last year. Someone also needs to tell the Wisconsin Republican that he still chairs the House Budget Committee mainly thanks to gerrymandered redistricting.
Someone clearly needs to remind him of those realities because the "vision document" he proposed on Tuesday as the Republican federal budget is only a still more extreme version of the same notions (and the same evasions) that he and Mitt Romney tried to sell without success last fall.
The College of Cardinals met in conclave on Tuesday to begin the process of electing a new pope. The cardinals have been getting plenty of advice from American journalists.
Most Americans remain worried about inflation, and an overwhelming number continue to say they are paying more for groceries compared to a year ago. Most believe they’ll be paying even more next year.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 86% of American Adults say they are paying more for groceries than they were a year ago. Just nine percent (9%) say they are paying less for groceries compared to last year. (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 Adults was conducted on March 11-12, 2013 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.
Twenty-nine percent (29%) of Likely U.S. Voters say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken the week ending Sunday, March 10.
Voter optimism in the nation’s current course is up a point from the previous week but remains at a level not seen since August of last year. Confidence in the nation's course peaked at a high of 43% the week before Election Day but has gradually come down since then.
(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 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen March 4-10, 2013. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
A plurality of voters continues to question President Obama’s handling of deficit reduction.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 38% of Likely U.S. Voters think the president is doing a good or excellent job handling issues related to reducing the federal budget deficit. But 46% rate Obama’s handling of these issues as poor. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 10-11, 2013 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.
Confidence in the U.S. banking system is up again this month.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 53% of American Adults now are at least somewhat confident in the stability of the U.S. banking industry, but that includes just 10% who are Very Confident. Forty-three percent (43%) continue to lack confidence in the nation’s banks, with 11% who are Not At All Confident. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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(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 Adults was conducted on March 11-12, 2013 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.
Celebrities are now upset about fracking, the injection of chemicals into the ground to crack rocks to release oil and gas. With everyone saying they want alternatives to foreign oil, I'd think celebrities would love fracking.
A county judge in Ohio recently struck down the use of traffic cameras to catch speeders and other intersection violators in one village, citing them as a “scam the motorist cannot win.” Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C. currently use speeding or red light cameras or both, but Americans’ views on them remain decidedly mixed.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% of American Adults think it is a good idea to use cameras at traffic intersections to catch speeders and those who run traffic lights. But just as many (46%) disagree and don't think it’s a good idea. (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 Adults was conducted on March 9-10, 2013 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.
Following the political battle over the March 1 sequester spending cuts, President Obama's positive ratings for leadership have fallen back to pre-election levels, and more voters than ever regard him as too confrontational.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 49% of Likely U.S. Voters now consider the president a good or excellent leader. That's down from 53% last month and 55% at the start of the year which were his highest positives since May 2009. Thirty-eight percent (38%) rate Obama as a poor leader. The new findings are more in line with the president's leadership ratings in 2012 prior to Election Day. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Take the Rasmussen Challenge! Answers must be submitted by 11:59pm ET on Wednesday, March 13.
(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 8-9, 2013 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.
Most working Americans continue to classify themselves as middle class, but the number of working poor remains at a near four year low.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 63% of Employed Adults consider themselves middle class. Twenty-one percent (21%) see themselves as upper middle class, while just three percent (3%) view themselves as wealthy. Eight percent (8%) regard themselves as the working poor. (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 640 Employed Adults was conducted on March 7-8, 2013 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.
A state Supreme Court judge has stopped New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s ban on the sale of large sugary drinks, and Americans couldn’t agree more.
Rasmussen Reports polling found that only nine percent (9%) of American Adults believed the government has the constitutional authority to prevent people from buying sugary drinks when Bloomberg announced his ban last May. Eighty-five percent (85%) disagreed and said the government does not have that authority.
