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                            July 23, 201241% Say U.S. Needs Stricter Gun Laws
Most Americans are following the news about the horrific movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado last week, but an overwhelming majority doubts that public places can ever be made completely safe from such violence. Support for stricter gun control laws remains basically unchanged.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just nine percent (9%) of American Adults believe public places can be made completely safe against violence like the incident in Colorado. Seventy-nine percent (79%) disagree and say they cannot be made safer. (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 July 20-21, 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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                            July 23, 201272% Believe Small Business Owners Primarily Responsible for Their Own Success
Most Americans believe entrepreneurs who start businesses do more to create jobs and economic growth than big businesses or government. They also believe overwhelmingly that small business owners work harder than other Americans and are primarily responsible for the success or failure of their businesses.
Seventy-two percent (72%) of Likely U.S. Voters believe that people who start small businesses are primarily responsible for their success or failure. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 13% disagree. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
July 23, 201252% Favor Repeal of Health Care Law, 45% Say Repeal is Likely
Most voters continue to favor repeal of the president’s health care law, and the belief that repeal is at least somewhat likely is still significantly down from the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling. 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of Likely Voters at least somewhat favor repeal of the health care law, including 41% who Strongly Favor repeal.  Forty-three percent (43%) oppose repeal, with 35% who are Strongly Opposed.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
This national survey of 1,000 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on July 21-22, 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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                            July 23, 2012Pennsylvania Senate: Casey (D) 49%, Smith (R) 38%
Incumbent Democrat Bob Casey, Jr. continues to attract support from about half of Pennsylvania voters and holds a significant lead over his Republican rival in the U.S. Senate race.
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Pennsylvania Voters shows Casey earning 49% support, while Tom Smith picks up 38% of the vote.  Four percent (4%) like another candidate in the race, and nine percent (9%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
This Pennsylvania survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted on July 18, 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.
July 23, 2012Booming North Dakota City Shows Wisdom of Markets By Michael Barone
This is a tale of two cities. No, not Dickens' phlegmatic London and passionate Paris. Nor the two neighborhoods Charles Murray contrasted in his recent bestseller "Coming Apart" -- prosperous but isolated Belmont (actually, Mitt Romney's home for decades) and needy and disorganized Fishtown.

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                            July 22, 201263% Say It’s Not A Good Time To Sell A House
Most Americans still don’t think it’s a good time for someone in their area to sell their home, and the number who think buying a house is the best investment a family can make has again fallen below 50%.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 17% of American Adults say it’s a good time for someone in their area to sell a house. Still, that's consistent with findings for much of this year so far and slightly higher than findings from 2009 through 2011. Sixty-three percent (63%) disagree and say now is not a good time to sell. Twenty percent (20%) are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 American Adults nationwide was conducted on July 18-19, 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.
July 22, 2012Among Military Veterans: Romney 59% Obama 35%
Most military veterans don’t like the job President Obama is doing and prefer Mitt Romney in November’s election.
New Rasmussen Reports polling finds that 59% of Likely U.S. Voters who have served in the military favor the Republican challenger, while 35% support the president.  Five percent (5%) of these voters like some other candidate in the race, but only two percent (2%) are undecided.
The national telephone survey of 574 Voters who have served in the military was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from July 9-15, 2012. The margin of sampling error for the survey 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.

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                            July 21, 201247% Say It's Too Easy To Get Food Stamps
Nearly half of Americans now think it's too easy to get food stamps, but a majority agrees that tough economic times are driving the demand for them.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 47% of American Adults believe it is too easy to get food stamps in this country. That number has been trending up from 40% in surveys since December 2010. Eighteen percent (18%) think it is too hard to get food stamps, in line with previous surveys. One-in-four (24%) think the level of eligibility is about right, but another 11% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on July 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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                            July 21, 2012What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls -- For The Week Ending July 21, 2012
Central to the race between President Obama and Mitt Romney is the question of how big a role the government should play in the economy.
Voters strongly believe that it’s important for the government to create an environment that encourages economic growth and ensures economic fairness, but growth is seen as the higher priority. Most believe Romney champions growth, while Obama is more focused on fairness.

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                            July 20, 201254% Expect More Partisanship in Washington
Just over half of voters now expect politics in the nation’s capital to become more partisan, the lowest finding in well over a year.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 54% of Likely U.S. Voters expect more partisanship in Washington, D.C., over the next year. That’s down from 61% last month and the lowest finding since January 2011.  
Nineteen percent (19%) expect politics in the capital to be more cooperative over the next year, the highest finding since March 2011. Twenty-seven percent (27%), however, are not sure what to expect. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 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.
July 20, 2012Must We Go Here Again? Birthers, Neo-birthers and Right-wing Sleaze By Joe Conason
As the Obama years unfold, observers who lived through the Clinton era sometimes have the eerie feeling that they have been here before -- particularly when directing their gaze toward the far right. The roiling paranoia and hatred that marred American politics when Bill and Hillary Clinton were in the White House has resurfaced in attacks on Barack and Michelle Obama, who like the Clintons have been maligned repeatedly as communist, subversive, Satanic and, above all, illegitimate.

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                            July 20, 2012Pennsylvania: Obama 48%, Romney 44%
President Obama continues to run slightly ahead of Mitt Romney in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania.
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the Keystone State finds Obama earning 48% of the vote, while Romney receives 44% support.  Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate, and another five percent (5%) are undecided.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
This Pennsylvania survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted on July 18, 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.

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                            July 20, 2012Confidence in Housing Values Falls to Lows for the Year
Confidence in the short- and long-term housing market among homeowners has fallen to the lowest level of 2012.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Homeowners shows that just 18% expect their home’s value to go up over the next year, down four points from June. Twenty-five percent (25%) expect home values to go down over the next year, while 51% say they will remain about the same. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The national survey of 732 Adult Homeowners was conducted on July 18-19, 2012 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.
July 20, 2012Ohio Senate: Brown (D) 46%, Mandel (R) 42%
Incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown still holds a modest lead over Republican challenger Josh Mandel in Ohio’s U.S. Senate race.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Ohio Voters shows Brown with 46% support to Mandel’s 42%. Four percent (4%) prefer another candidate in the race, and eight percent (8%) 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.
This Ohio survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted on July 18, 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.

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                            July 20, 2012Bain Attacks Fail to Shake Up Presidential Race By Scott Rasmussen
Over the past few weeks, President Obama and his campaign team have launched a furious attack on Mitt Romney's record as head of Bain Capital, a highly successful venture capital firm.

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                            July 19, 201249% Say Current Government Programs Increase Level of Poverty in U.S.
Nearly half of all Americans believe the government overspends on anti-poverty programs and continue to feel those programs actually increase the level of poverty in this country. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 47% of American adults think the government spends too much on poverty programs. That's up nine points from 38% in April of last year. Thirty percent (30%) feel the government spends too little fighting poverty, while 15% say the amount spent is about right. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on July 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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                            July 19, 2012Most Americans Have Had Blood Pressure, Cholesterol Checked In Past Six Months
More Americans have had their blood pressure checked in the past six months than their cholesterol, and roughly a third have been told those levels are high.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 83% of American Adults have had their blood pressure checked in the last six months, while 61% have done the same with their cholesterol.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on July 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.
July 19, 2012Among Uncommitted Voters, Obama Job Approval Is At 29%
Polls over the past month have consistently shown a very close general election race between President Obama and Mitt Romney. The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll has shown Obama’s support between 44% and 46% every day for weeks. During that same time frame, Romney’s support has stayed between 44% and 47%.
While some of those voters could ultimately change their minds, the winner could very well be determined by the eight percent (8%) to 10% of voters who routinely refuse to commit to either of the major party candidates. About half of them prefer a third-party option, and the other half are simply undecided.
The survey of 653 Uncommitted Likely Voters was conducted July 2-15, 2012 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.
July 19, 2012Ohio: Obama 47%, Romney 45%
The presidential race remains tight in the key battleground state of Ohio where President Obama has inched slightly ahead of Mitt Romney.
A new Rasmussen Reports survey of Likely Voters in the Buckeye State shows Obama with 47% of the vote to Romney’s 45%. Five percent (5%) prefer some other candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Ohio was conducted on July 18, 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.

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                            July 19, 201262% Put Economic Growth Ahead of Economic Fairness
Voters view economic growth as much more important than economic fairness and think Mitt Romney favors growth while President Obama is more focused on fairness.
Sixty-two percent (62%) of Likely U.S. Voters consider encouraging economic growth as a more important role for the government than ensuring economic fairness. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 30% of voters believe it’s more important for the government to ensure economic fairness. (To see survey question wording, click here.)