NASA recently sent a robotic-like machine into space to further explore Mars, and now Americans are slightly more supportive of sending a human to the Red Planet.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 36% of American Adults think the current goals of the space program should include sending someone to Mars. Thirty-eight percent (38%) disagree, while 27% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Forget Bain Capital, tax returns, whether the President says you built your business or not, Fast and Furious, Romneycare, Obamacare, overseas gaffes and the campaign story du jour. These are side issues and distractions. This presidential election should be primarily about one thing, which is the issue that is perennially most important to American voters: the economy.
Most Americans don’t like the idea of the federal government playing favorites in the business world. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 55% of Likely U.S. Voters think it is not appropriate for the government to invest in private companies. Just half that many (27%) disagree and believe it is okay for the government to invest in the private sector. Eighteen percent (18%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 4-5, 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.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) got the opponent she wanted. But she still enters the general election season as an underdog.
Just 16 percent of voters nationwide believe it was a good idea for the government to provide Solyndra with loan guarantees. The solar power company went bankrupt and stuck taxpayers with the tab for a half-billion dollars.
Nearly half of U.S. voters continue to feel the nation’s best days are already behind them.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 49% of Likely U.S. Voters think America’s best days are in the past. Thirty-two percent (32%) think the country’s best days still lie ahead, down five points from the previous survey. Another 19% 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 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 2-3, 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.
Harry Reid has provoked outrage among liberals as well as conservatives, who seem to believe he has violated propriety by repeating gossip about Mitt Romney's taxes. The Senate leader says someone connected with Romney told him that the Republican candidate paid no income taxes for a period of 10 years. Offended by Reid's audacity, commentators on the right have indicted him for "McCarthyism," while others on the left have accused him of inventing the whole story.
While the U.S. unemployment rate inched up in July, more Americans than ever think it will hurt the nation’s economy if the federal government hires more people to compensate. At the same time, the number of adults who feel unemployment benefits should be extended indefinitely is at an all-time low.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 49% of American Adults now think if the federal government hires more people, it will be bad for the economy, up from 43% in early June and the highest level measured since regular tracking began in late October 2010. Thirty-three percent (33%) say it will be a good economic move if the government hires more people, while 12% believe it will have no impact. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Sixty-seven years ago today, the U.S. military dropped a second atomic bomb on Japan, this time on the city of Nagasaki. Three days earlier, Hiroshima had been the target. Most Americans continue to feel the devastating bombings that killed thousands of Japanese civilians were a good idea and saved American lives.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 58% of American Adults think it was a good decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. Just 19% say it was a bad decision. Twenty-three percent (23%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on August 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.
When the president of Chick-fil-A spoke out in support of traditional marriage in a recent interview, the mayors of Boston, Chicago and San Francisco angrily responded by saying the fast-food chain wasn’t welcome in their cities. But voters overwhelmingly believe those mayors should butt out.
Eighty-seven percent (87%) of Likely U.S. Voters say government officials should not be allowed to prohibit a business from opening if they disagree with the political views of the business owner. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only three percent (3%) think government officials should have the power to stop businesses because they disagree politically with the owners. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
It's a given in many conservative circles that the rise of single-parent families is the biggest cause of increasing economic inequality and that liberals are to blame. The first "given" is correct. The second "given" is entirely in conservative heads -- though a means to play politics without doing the heavy lifting.
Rasmussen Reports is now providing new in-depth presidential tracking data exclusively for our Platinum Service members.While topline data of who’s winning and by how much is available to the public, Platinum Members can take a much deeper dive into the numbers with daily demographic updates and a host of additional information. The Platinum data includes daily updates on how closely various demographic groups are following the election. This is a key indicator of potential turnout. Additionally, the data measures the level of commitment offered to both candidates. Who could still change their mind? And, the data shows daily results “with leaners.” How does the race look when those who are uncommitted to either candidate are pushed to say which way they are leaning.
Traumas suffered by a society generations ago can still have a negative effect centuries later.
George Allen and Tim Kaine remain deadlocked in Virginia’s U.S. Senate race.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Virginia Voters finds Republican Allen and Democrat Kaine each earning 46% support. Two percent (2%) like another candidate in the race, and six percent (6%) 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 500 Likely Voters in Virginia was conducted on August 7, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Twenty-seven percent (27%) 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 5.
That's down two points from 29% the week before and the lowest finding since late June.
Voters believe America is overtaxed even though most Americans seriously underestimate the amount of taxes they actually pay.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that only 54% of American Adults recognize that employers pay additional taxes on top of the wages paid to an employee. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
President Obama and Mitt Romney continue to run within two percentage points of each other in the key battleground state of Virginia.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the Old Dominion finds Obama with 48% support, while Romney picks up 46% of the vote. Two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate, and three percent (3%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Virginia was conducted on August 7, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Ever since the president of Chick-fil-A volunteered his definition of marriage, the fast food chain has been the center of attention for friends and foes. While most voters view Chick-fil-A favorably, most don’t plan to change their eating habits because of the controversy.
Just 13% of Likely U.S. Voters are likely to participate in a boycott of Chick-fil-A restaurants, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Seventy-seven percent (77%) do not plan to boycott the Chick-fil-A restaurants because of the controversy. Ten percent (10%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
On his recent trip abroad, Mitt Romney observed an American taboo by not criticizing President Obama's military policy. But before his trip, he made his position clear. Obama has "exposed the military to cuts that no one can justify," Romney said.
Roughly one-in-four American Adults (27%) continue to favor extending the school year to a 12-month calendar, but 66% are opposed, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
Among adults who have children at home who attend elementary or secondary schools, 30% support year-round schooling, and 58% are opposed. (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 August 1-2, 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.
