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                            August 31, 2012Most Think Next President Likely to Be Republican
Most voters still think the next president is likely to be a Republican, but belief that it’s very likely has changed little for months.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 60% of Likely U.S. Voters believe that the next president will be a Republican. Twenty-five percent (25%) considerate it unlikely that President Obama will be succeeded by a Republican. Sixteen percent (16%) aren’t sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 29-30, 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.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/august_2012/88_view_neil_armstrong_favorably_5_think_moon_landing_a_fake/763592-1-eng-US/88_view_neil_armstrong_favorably_5_think_moon_landing_a_fake.jpg" />
                
            
                            August 31, 201288% View Neil Armstrong Favorably; 5% Think Moon Landing A Fake
An overwhelming number of Americans nationwide have a favorable opinion of astronaut Neil Armstrong who passed away last weekend. Despite his famously guarded demeanor, most Americans correctly identify him as the first person to walk on the moon. Only a small percentage of Americans think the whole thing was staged.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 88% view Armstrong favorably, including 68% with a Very Favorable opinion of him. Just two percent (2%) regard him unfavorably. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge? Check the leaderboard. We had over 2,500 people submit entries, and 25 people got the question right.
Sign up for The Rasmussen Reader, now just $24.95 for a 12-month subscription. Offer good through October 1, 2012.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on August 27-28, 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
August 31, 2012Foreign Affairs: How Romney's Millions Went Tax-Free Overseas By Joe Conason
On the same day that Mitt Romney cracked his birther "joke," new evidence indicated that he and his partners at Bain Capital have used questionable methods to avoid federal taxes -- including a scheme that transforms corporate stock into untaxed offshore "derivatives" and a practice that converts management fees into capital gains, which are taxed at a far lower rate.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            August 31, 2012Conventions Don't Matter -- and Mean Even Less By Scott Rasmussen
Political junkies get excited about the Republican and Democratic national conventions, but for many Americans they provide a stark reminder of how out of touch our political system has become. The strange rituals and bad jokes seem oddly out of place in the 21st century, almost as strange as seeing an engineer use a slide rule rather than an iPad to perform some complex calculation.
August 30, 201244% Say Obama Very Liberal, 30% See Romney Very Conservative
More voters than ever consider Mitt Romney a conservative, but President Obama is still viewed as further to the political left than Romney is to the right. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 71% of Likely U.S. Voters describe Obama as a liberal, up just slightly from earlier this year but the highest finding since December 2010. Just as many (72%) now view Romney as conservative. That's up from 56% at the beginning of the year and the highest finding to date.
But 44% of voters think the president is Very Liberal versus 30% who describe his Republican challenger as Very Conservative. The number who think Obama is Very Liberal is consistent with regular tracking for much of his presidency. The percentage who view Romney as Very Conservative is up from 14% in early January. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 24-25, 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.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/august_2012/41_say_u_s_should_resume_manned_missions_to_moon/762621-2-eng-US/41_say_u_s_should_resume_manned_missions_to_moon.jpg" />
                
            
                            August 30, 201241% Say U.S. Should Resume Manned Missions to Moon
Following the passing of Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, Americans don’t show strong support for putting astronauts back on the moon anytime soon.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 41% believe the United States should resume manned space missions to the moon during the next decade. Nearly as many (37%) disagree and don’t think the country should resume those missions. Twenty-two percent (22%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge?  Check the leaderboard. We had over 2,500 people submit entries, and 25 people got the question right.
Sign up for The Rasmussen Reader, now just $24.95 for a 12-month subscription. Offer good through October 1, 2012.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on August 27-28, 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.
August 30, 201261% View Michelle Obama Favorably, 54% Say Same of Ann Romney
Voters remain evenly divided on the importance of the candidate’s wives in determining how they will vote for president in November, but favorables for Michelle Obama and Ann Romney are up as the campaign begins in earnest.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 61% of Likely U.S. Voters now have a favorable opinion of Mrs. Obama, with 42% who view her Very Favorably. Only 33% regard the first lady unfavorably, including 17% with a Very Unfavorable opinion of her. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 28-29, 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.
August 30, 2012Bad Immigration Ideas From All Directions by Froma Harrop
No balanced talk of immigration reform is expected before the November election. But that need not stop the airing of proposals, some of them semi-formed, some half-baked.
From the left, we have the TRUST Act, a bill passed by the California Legislature and now awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown's uncertain signature. It would require local law enforcement to defy some federal requests to hold arrested illegal immigrants pending checks for criminal records. That would force police to break either state law or federal law. The TRUST Act's sponsors should know that immigration is a federal responsibility in California as well as in Arizona.
August 30, 2012Romney Pins Hopes on Being Different From Obama By Michael Barone
TAMPA, Fla. -- The Republicans who are assembled here have been told time and time again that Barack Obama's great advantage over Mitt Romney is likability.
August 30, 201248% Trust Romney More on Economy; 44% Trust Obama More
Voters still trust Mitt Romney more than President Obama when it comes to handling the economy - but just barely. They have more confidence in the president when it comes to national security, and as for taxes, health care and energy policy, the presidential hopefuls are virtually tied, indicative of how close the race remains.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters trust Romney more on the economy, while 44% have more confidence in the president. (To see survey question wording, click here.)  
Sign up for The Rasmussen Reader, now just $24.95 for a 12-month subscription. Offer good through October 1, 2012. 
(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 August 26-27, 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.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/archive/mood_of_america_archive/right_direction_or_wrong_track/august_2012/28_say_u_s_heading_in_right_direction/63618-246-eng-US/28_say_u_s_heading_in_right_direction.jpg" />
                
            
                            August 29, 201228% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction
Twenty eight percent (28%) 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, August 26.
That's down one point from the week before.
Win an iPad: The Rasmussen Challenge! This week's entries will be accepted until 11:59pm ET tonight.
Sign up for The Rasmussen Reader, now just $24.95 for a 12-month subscription. Offer good through October 1, 2012.
The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports August 20-26, 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.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/august_2012/53_think_this_summer_has_been_hotter_than_recent_summers/761343-1-eng-US/53_think_this_summer_has_been_hotter_than_recent_summers.jpg" />
                
            
                            August 29, 201253% Think This Summer Has Been Hotter Than Recent Summers
With drought plaguing the Midwest, it may not be much of a surprise that over half of Americans are reporting that this summer has been hotter than recent summers.
Fifty-three percent (53%) of American Adults think this summer has been hotter, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Eighteen percent (18%) say it has not been as hot as previous summers, while 28% believe the temperature's been about the same. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/business/gas_oil/august_2012/68_say_they_are_paying_more_for_gas_compared_to_six_months_ago/761224-1-eng-US/68_say_they_are_paying_more_for_gas_compared_to_six_months_ago.jpg" />
                
            
                            August 29, 201268% Say They Are Paying More for Gas Compared to Six Months Ago
Gas prices are going up again as summer ends, with 68% of American Adults now saying they are paying more for a gallon of gas than they were six months ago. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just five percent (5%) say they're paying less for gas now, while 20% say gas prices are about the same. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Win an iPad: The Rasmussen Challenge! This week's entries will be accepted until 11:59pm ET tonight.
 
 Sign up for The Rasmussen Reader, now just $24.95 for a 12-month subscription  . Offer good through October 1, 2012.
The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on August 25-26, 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.
August 29, 2012The Star of Last Night Was Ann Romney By Lawrence Kudlow
In front of a spirited crowd that packed the Tampa Times Forum, Chris Christie gave a solid speech which echoed Mitt Romney's programs consisting of substantial budget cuts, tax cuts, and entitlement reform.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            August 29, 201253% Think Obama Will Win, 33% Predict Romney
The race may be neck-and-neck in the daily Presidential Tracking Poll, but voters by 20 points predict that President Obama will be reelected. Republicans are expected to keep control of the House of Representatives, but voters are evenly divided over the future of the Senate.
Fifty-three percent (53%) of Likely U.S. Voters think, regardless of who they want to win, that the president is most likely to be the winner in November. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 33% believe Republican challenger Mitt Romney will come out on top. Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Win an iPad: The Rasmussen Challenge! This week’s entries will be accepted until 11:59pm ET tonight.
Sign up for The Rasmussen Reader, now just $24.95 for a 12-month subscription. Offer good through October 1, 2012.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 26-27, 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.
August 29, 2012The War on Drugs: Because Prohibition Worked So Well ... By John Stossel
Forty years ago, the United States locked up fewer than 200 of every 100,000 Americans. Then President Nixon declared war on drugs. Now we lock up more of our people than any other country -- more even than the authoritarian regimes in Russia and China.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/politics/general_politics/august_2012/44_see_political_conventions_as_waste_of_time_and_money/760765-1-eng-US/44_see_political_conventions_as_waste_of_time_and_money.jpg" />
                
            
                            August 29, 201244% See Political Conventions As Waste of Time and Money
The national political conventions are long past determining the presidential candidates of the major parties, and a lot of voters don’t have much use for them anymore.
In fact, a plurality (44%) of Likely U.S. Voters considers the conventions a waste of time and money. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 35% disagree, with 22% more who are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Sign up for The Rasmussen Reader, now just $24.95 for a 12-month subscription  . Offer good through October 1, 2012.
(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 August 24-25, 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.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/business/general_business/august_2012/just_16_see_a_better_future_for_today_s_children/760336-1-eng-US/just_16_see_a_better_future_for_today_s_children.jpg" />
                
            
                            August 28, 2012Just 16% See A Better Future for Today's Children
Americans remain highly pessimistic about what lies ahead for the nation's children. 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 16% of Adults believe that today’s children will be better off than their parents. That's up slightly from July’s all-time low of 14% and back to the levels found in May and June. Prior to that time in regular surveys since the beginning of 2009, that finding generally had been in the low to mid-20s.
Sixty-four percent (64%) now say today’s children will not be better off. That compares to 47% who felt that way in January 2009. Nineteen percent (19%) more are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Sign up for The Rasmussen Reader, now just $24.95 for a 12-month subscription . Offer good through October 1, 2012.
Win an iPad: The Rasmussen Challenge Starts Today! This week’s entries will be accepted until 11:59pm ET on Wednesday.
(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 nationwide was conducted on August 21-22, 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.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/august_2012/76_say_drought_is_driving_up_food_prices/759978-2-eng-US/76_say_drought_is_driving_up_food_prices.jpg" />
                
            
                            August 28, 201276% Say Drought Is Driving Up Food Prices
Tropical Storm Isaac could bring some rain to the states in the Mississippi Valley this week, but it is unlikely to break the drought that has had a stranglehold on the Midwest for months. Americans are highly concerned about the drought's impact on the economy, especially on food prices.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 84% of American Adults are at least somewhat concerned about the potential impact of the drought on the U.S. economy, including 48% who are Very Concerned. Just 15% are not very or Not At All Concerned about the drought’s impact on the economy. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Win an iPad: The Rasmussen Challenge Starts Today! This week’s entries will be accepted until 11:59pm ET on Wednesday.
Sign up for The Rasmussen Reader, now just $24.95 for a 12-month subscription . Offer good through October 1, 2012.
(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 August 23-24, 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.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/august_2012/73_concerned_about_spread_of_west_nile_virus/760046-1-eng-US/73_concerned_about_spread_of_west_nile_virus.jpg" />
                
            
                            August 28, 201273% Concerned About Spread of West Nile Virus
This year has seen the highest number of reported West Nile virus cases in the United States since the virus was first detected in 1999, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. Most Americans are concerned about the spread of the virus, and a majority says they’d get vaccinated if it were possible. But Americans are not as enthusiastic about the government requiring vaccinations during a health emergency.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of U.S. Adults shows that 73% are at least somewhat concerned about the spread of the West Nile virus, with 27% who are Very Concerned. Twenty-seven percent (27%) don’t share this concern, but that includes just seven percent (7%) who are Not At All Concerned. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on August 25-26, 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.
Sign up for The Rasmussen Reader, now just $24.95 for a 12-month subscription . Offer good through October 1, 2012. 