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June 18, 2012

36% Give U.S. Supreme Court Positive Ratings on Job Performance

Just over one-third of voters continue to have a positive view of the U.S. Supreme Court which is expected to rule any day now on the constitutionality of President Obama's national health care law.  

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 36% of Likely U.S. Voters rate the Supreme Court’s performance as good or excellent.  Seventeen percent (17%) say the high court is doing a poor job.  (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

This national survey of 1,000 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on June 13-14, 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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June 18, 2012

Michigan Senate: Stabenow Leads Top GOP Challengers

Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow earns 48% support against two of her likeliest Republican challengers in Rasmussen Reports’ first look at her reelection bid in Michigan.

A new statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows former Congressman Peter Hoekstra trailing by nine points, drawing 39% of the vote against the incumbent. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate, and 10% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Michigan was conducted on June 14, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

June 18, 2012

52% Think Economy Will Be Unchanged or Weaker A Year From Now

Most Americans still believe the U.S. economy will be weaker or unchanged in a year’s time. Fewer than half expect the economy to be stronger even five years from now.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 36% of American Adults now think the economy will be stronger in a year. That’s consistent with findings so far this year and more optimistic than Americans were throughout 2011. But 52% don’t share that optimism, including 38% who believe the economy will be weaker in a year’s time and 14% who predict it will be about the same. Thirteen percent (13%) aren’t sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on June 16-17, 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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June 18, 2012

'Angry' Money Gives Funding Edge to GOP and Romney By Michael Barone

There has been a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth as, in the spring, it appeared that forces supporting Mitt Romney would be able to raise about as much money as those supporting Barack Obama. There's even more now that it seems likely that the pro-Romney side will raise and spend more money than the pro-Obama side.

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June 18, 2012

52% Want U.S. Supreme Court to Overturn Obama’s Health Care Law

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule by the end of this month on the constitutionality of President Obama’s health care law, and most voters hope the law is overturned.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of Likely U.S. Voters would like to see the Supreme Court overturn the health care law. Thirty-eight percent (38%) disagree and want to see the high court uphold the law’s legality instead. (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 June 15-16, 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.

June 17, 2012

17% Think Father’s Day Is One of America’s Most Important Holidays

Father’s Day still ranks pretty low in terms of the nation’s holidays, but Americans continue to feel strongly that being a father is the most important role a man can fill.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 17% of American Adults consider Father’s Day one of America’s most important holidays. Twenty-three percent (23%) rate it as one of the least important holidays, while 59% place it somewhere in between the two. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

This nationwide survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on June 14-15, 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.

June 17, 2012

Just 27% Say Those Who Work Harder Make More Money

Most Americans still aren’t convinced that the harder you work, the more you get paid.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that just 27% believe that people who work harder generally make more money. Fifty-seven percent (57%) don’t believe that to be the case, while another 16% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on June 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.

June 16, 2012

53% in Wisconsin Now Approve Of Governor Walker’s Job Performance

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s approval ratings are up slightly following his victory in the state’s June 5 special recall election. Fifty-three percent (53%) of Likely Voters in the Badger State now at least somewhat approve of the job Walker is doing as governor, according to a new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey.  Forty-seven percent (47%) disapprove of his job performance.  Those figures include 45% who Strongly Approve and 39% who Strongly Disapprove.  (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 Wisconsin was conducted on June 12, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

June 16, 2012

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending June 15, 2012

When is bad news not bad news? Or at least not as shocking as it sounds? This week, it was when the government announced that household net worth fell 40% between 2007 and 2010, but most Americans already knew that because they’ve been living it every day.

All Rasmussen Reports major economic indicators – consumer and investor confidence, housing, personal finances, employment, you name it – plunged in recent years and are still far from full recovery as Scott Rasmussen notes in his latest syndicated newspaper column. “Consumers rate their personal finances the same as they did on the day President Obama was inaugurated,” he explains. “If that doesn't improve by November, there's likely to be a new president in January.”

On Friday, the Rasmussen Consumer Index which measures daily consumer confidence fell to its lowest level in three-and-a-half months. Just 23% of consumers say their personal finances are improving, while nearly half (49%) say they are getting worse. Investors don’t feel much better.

June 15, 2012

50% Say Financial Industry Bailouts Were Bad for U.S.

Fifty percent (50%) of Likely U.S. Voters still believe the government bailouts of the financial industry were bad for the country, but voters are now almost evenly divided on the effectiveness of the auto company bailouts.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 32% of Likely U.S. Voters think the financial industry bailouts were good for the United States. Seventeen percent (17%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 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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June 15, 2012

Michigan: Obama 50%, Romney 42%

President Obama draws 50% support against Mitt Romney in Rasmussen Reports’ first look at the presidential race in Michigan.

A new statewide telephone survey shows that 42% of Likely Voters support Romney. Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Michigan was conducted on June 14, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

June 15, 2012

40% Think Holder Should Resign As Attorney General

The Justice Department’s Fast and Furious operation was conceived as a way to catch illegal gun runners but instead put guns in the hands of Mexican drug criminals.  Congress wants to know why and has been battling with Attorney General Eric Holder for more information. A sizable number of voters now think Holder should resign.

In fact, a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 27% of Likely U.S. Voters oppose Holder’s resignation. Forty percent (40%) are in favor of the attorney general stepping down, but another 33% 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 June 13-14, 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.

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June 15, 2012

Did Young Romney Impersonate a Police Officer? Another Witness Says Yes By Joe Conason

When Mitt Romney was a college freshman, he told fellow residents of his Stanford University dormitory that he sometimes disguised himself as a police officer -- a crime in many states, including Michigan and California, where he then lived. And he had the uniform on display as proof.

June 15, 2012

72% Say Media Hurts National Security When They Release Secret Documents

In response to news outlets publishing top secret national security information, lawmakers in Congress are drafting legislation to limit access to such information and to create new penalties for revealing it. Seventy-two percent (72%) of Likely U.S. Voters say when media outlets release secret government documents, they are hurting national security.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 14% believe the media is providing a public service when it releases that information.  Another 15% are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted on June 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.

June 15, 2012

Collapse of Household Net Worth Isn't News to Most Americans By Scott Rasmussen

The new Federal Reserve report showing that household net worth collapsed between 2007 and 2010 quickly became campaign fodder for both sides.

June 14, 2012

62% Would Rather Be Called Good Citizen Than Patriot

More voters than ever would rather be called a good citizen than a patriot, but a plurality thinks they’re really one and the same.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of Likely U.S. Voters would rather be called a good citizen, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. This finding has been on the rise since May 2010 when 52% said they’d rather be called a good citizen. Fifty-seven percent (57%) said the same in May of last year.

Twenty-five percent (25%) now would rather be called a patriot, but 13% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 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.

June 14, 2012

78% Remain Concerned About Inflation

Most Americans continue to lack confidence in the Federal Reserve Board’s ability to keep inflation under control, and they overwhelmingly expect to pay more for the groceries they buy.  

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 78% of American Adults are at least somewhat concerned about inflation, including 49% who are Very Concerned.  Just 19% are not very or Not At All concerned about inflation.  (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 American Adults nationwide was conducted on June 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.

June 14, 2012

Worker Output Trumps Seniority, Education When It Comes to Pay

Ask Americans who should get paid more, and they continue to believe the hardest workers should take home bigger checks than those with greater seniority or a higher level of education.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of American Adults think that given two workers with the same job at the same company the one who gets more done should be paid more than the one who has more seniority. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 16% feel the worker with more time on the job should get more pay, while another 16% say the two workers should be paid the same amount. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on June 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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June 14, 2012

50% Trust Romney More Than Obama To Handle Economy

Voters continue to trust likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney more than President Obama when it comes to the economy and taxes but are more narrowly divided on three other key issues.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Voters shows that 50% trust Romney more to handle the economy, while 42% trust the president more. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 11-12, 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.

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June 14, 2012

Why the U.S. Is Not Greece By Froma Harrop

America is not going the way of Greece, and North Dakota has shown us why. Residents were given the opportunity Tuesday to vote their property taxes out of existence, and they chose not to take it.