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                            December 17, 201247% Say U.S. Economy is Fair, 49% Disagree
American voters are evenly divided as to whether or not the economy is fair.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 47% believe the economy is fair and 49% disagree. Those figures include nine percent (9%) who say it is Very Fair and 13% who see the economy as Not at All Fair.  (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 was conducted on December 12-13, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error 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.
December 17, 2012While Feds Dawdle, States Tackle Fiscal Problems By Michael Barone
Democrats in Washington declare that they will absolutely, positively allow no changes whatever in the nation's unsustainable entitlement programs -- Social Security and Medicare.
But out in the states, politicians of both parties aren't averting their gaze from impending fiscal crises. They are working to change policies that put state governments on an unsustainable trajectory.
The most obvious example was the passage of a right-to-work law last week in Michigan, the birthplace of the United Auto Workers union.

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                            December 17, 201240% Favor Single-Payer Health Care System, 44% Oppose
Voters are now almost evenly divided over the establishment of a single-payer health care system under which the federal government provides coverage for everyone.
Forty percent (40%) of Likely U.S. Voters favor a single-payer system, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Forty-four percent (44%) oppose the creation of such a system. Sixteen percent (16%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Win an IPad: Take the Rasmussen Challenge.
(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 December 10-11, 2012 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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                            December 16, 2012Most Will Send Cards, Go to a Party This Christmas Season
Parties are a highlight of this Christmas season for many people, but traditional caroling isn’t nearly as popular.
Eighty-eight percent (88%) of American Adults celebrate Christmas in their family, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Sixty percent (60%) plan to attend a Christmas party this year.
Fifty-four percent (54%) will send out Christmas cards.
But just nine percent (9%) say they will go Christmas caroling.
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge?  Check the leaderboard.
(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 nationwide was conducted on December 11-12, 2012 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.
December 15, 2012South Carolina Doubles Down on 2014 By Geoffrey Skelley
When Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) unexpectedly announced that he planned to resign his seat in early 2013 to become president of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, he set in motion an odd American political occurrence: the double-barreled Senate election. This is when there is both a Senate special election and a regularly-scheduled Senate election held on the same day in the same state. In 2014, South Carolina will have a special election for the rest of DeMint's term at the same time Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) is up for reelection.

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                            December 15, 201246% Predict Higher Interest Rates A Year From Today
Most Americans think they’re paying about the same in interest rates as they were a year ago, but a plurality feel those rates will be higher a year from today.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 16% of American Adults say the interest rates they are paying now are higher than they were a year ago, while 17% say those rates are lower.  Fifty-eight percent (58%) think interest rates are about the same 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 national survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on December 9-10, 2012 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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                            December 15, 2012What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending December 14, 2012
Since Election Day, the number of voters who like the idea of bigger government is up, but most still have the opposite view.
One-in-three Likely U.S. Voters (34%) now prefer a larger government with more services and higher taxes to one with fewer services and lower taxes. That's the highest level of support for bigger government we have ever measured. Most voters (56%), however, still favor smaller government.
Only 37% of voters now say they are conservative when it comes to fiscal issues such as taxes and government spending. That’s the first time that number has ever dipped below 40%. Thirty-nine percent (39%) consider themselves fiscally moderate. One-in-five (20%) now say they are fiscally liberal. More voters than ever describe themselves as socially liberal, too.

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                            December 14, 2012Just 37% Now Call Themselves Fiscal Conservatives
Voters appear to be showing a slight ideological shift as fewer now consider themselves fiscal conservatives and more say they are both fiscal and social liberals.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 37% of Likely U.S. Voters now say they are conservative when it comes to fiscal issues such as taxes and government spending. That’s the first time that number has dipped below 40% in surveys dating back to November 2007. Thirty-nine percent (39%) consider themselves fiscally moderate. One-in-five (20%) now say they are fiscally liberal. That's up from 11% in January and the highest finding to date. (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 December 6-7, 2012 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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                            December 14, 2012New High: 73% Say Government Should Cut Spending to Help Economy
Half of all Americans want more government action to deal with the economy. But the action they are looking for is to cut government spending. Overall, 73% of Likely Voters nationwide believe the federal government should cut spending rather than increase it in reacting the nation’s current economic problems. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 18% are looking for an increase in spending. (To see survey question wording, click here.) That’s consistent with earlier data showing that just 19% want to see more stimulus spending at this time.
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge? Check the leaderboard.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 12-13, 2012 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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                            December 14, 201245% Think Right-to-Work Laws Good for a State’s Economy
Michigan’s sudden legislative decision to declare itself a right-to-work state has prompted angry protests from President Obama and organized labor, but voters by a two-to-one margin think right-to-work laws are good for a state economically.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters believe right-to-work laws are good for a state’s economy. Just half that many (22%) disagree. Seven percent (7%) think right-to-work laws have no impact. A sizable 25% 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 was conducted on December 12-13, 2012 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.
December 14, 2012House 2014:  A Narrowing Battlefield? By Kyle Kondik
Ticket-splitters are getting rarer and rarer, at least based on the dwindling number of congressional districts where different parties won the presidential vote and the House seat. And that potentially reduces the number of targets for both sides as we examine 2014’s House playing field.

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                            December 14, 2012Health Care Law Is Still Fighting For Its Life By Scott Rasmussen
Having survived the Supreme Court and the November elections, President Obama's health care law now faces an even bigger hurdle: the reality of making it work.
December 14, 2012Raising Medicare Age Won't Save Money But Will Cost Lives By Joe Conason
Raising taxes on the rich alone won't close the deficit or erase the national debt, as Republicans superciliously inform us over and over again. But in their negotiations with the White House to avert the so-called fiscal cliff, congressional Republicans seem obsessed with a change in Medicare eligibility whose budgetary impact (when compared with ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy) is truly negligible -- but whose human toll would be immense.

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                            December 13, 201246% Have a Positive Outlook About 2013
Looking back, most Americans don't give 2012 even a good rating, but they have higher hopes for 2013.    
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 36% of American Adults rate the year 2012 as good or better, including eight percent (8%) who think it was excellent and three percent (3%) who think it was the Best Year Ever. Thirty-five percent (35%) describe 2012 as fair, while 28% think it's been 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 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on December 7-8, 2012 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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                            December 13, 201229% Have Finished Their Holiday Shopping
The countdown continues: 12 shopping days left until Christmas, and 32% of American Adults still have not begun their holiday gift shopping yet.
Sixty-four percent (64%) have started their shopping by now, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. That’s up from 59% a week ago and 32% in mid-November. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge?  Check the leaderboard.
The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on December 11-12, 2012 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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                            December 13, 201246% Favor A Health Care Exchange in Their State, 35% Don’t
Nearly half of all voters want their state to set up its own health care exchange to help implement President Obama’s national health care law. Roughly half the states, however, have already chosen not to do so. In those states, voters are evenly divided.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 46% of Likely U.S. Voters want their governor to support the implementation of the health care law in their state. But nearly as many (42%) want their governor to oppose the law’s implementation. 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 survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 10-11, 2012 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.
December 13, 2012Fiscal Cliff Creates Problems That Don't Faze Obama By Michael Barone
Is Barack Obama bluffing when he threatens to go over the fiscal cliff if Republicans refuse to agree to higher tax rates on high earners?
December 13, 2012Crashing Federal Hypocrisy on Pot By Froma Harrop
Ah, the great American West, where man can generally breathe free and also inhale -- woman, too. Thank you, thank you, voters in Colorado and Washington state, for legalizing marijuana. But will Washington, D.C., leave you alone? Attorney General Eric Holder said this week that the Justice Department will weigh its response to the state referenda.

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                            December 13, 201234% Prefer a Government With More Services, Higher Taxes
One-in-three Likely U.S. Voters (34%) now prefer a larger government with more services and higher taxes to one with fewer services and lower taxes. That's up 10 points from a month ago and the highest level of support for bigger government in over six years of regular surveying.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% of voters still favor smaller government, but that's down from 64% in November. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Win an iPad: Take the Rasmussen Challenge! You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday to get your response in. 
(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 December 6-7, 2012 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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                            December 12, 201238% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction
Confidence in the nation’s direction has fallen back to pre-Election Day levels.
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Likely U.S. Voters now say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken the week ending Sunday, December 9.
That's down from 41% the previous three weeks. Since Election Day, confidence in the nation’s course has been tracking in the low 40s, the highest level of optimism during the Obama years. The latest finding is more in line with attitudes in September and October but is still slightly higher than was found earlier in 2012. This week’s finding is up 14 points from the beginning of the year and up 19 points from a year ago.
(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 December 3-9, 2012. 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.