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January 4, 201222% Say U.S. Heading In Right Direction
Twenty-two percent (22%) 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 short holiday week ending Friday, December 30. That ties a five-month high first reached in mid-December.  
The latest finding is up two points from the previous week.
The national telephone survey of 3,000 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports December 26-30, 2011. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage point 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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                            January 4, 201247% Say Staying With Current Company Best For Advancement
A plurality of working Americans feels their best opportunity for career advancement is to stay put, and fewer believe their next job will be better than their current one. 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Employed Adults finds that 47% say they have a better opportunity for career advancement by staying within their current company.  Thirty percent (30%) think their chances are better if they go to work for someone else, unchanged from November and still at the lowest level measured in nearly two years of surveying.  Another 22% are not sure which course is better.  (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 616 Employed Adults was conducted on January 2-3, 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.
January 4, 2012Election 2012: Obama 49%, Gingrich 39%
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich still trails President Obama by 10 points in a hypothetical 2012 general election matchup surveyed the night before the Iowa caucuses.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows Obama drawing 49% of the vote to Gingrich's 39%.
The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 29-30, 2011 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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                            January 4, 201255% View Social Security Favorably, But Only 48% Think It’s A Good Deal
Most voters continue to have a favorable opinion of Social Security even though they don’t think it’s a good deal for working Americans. Not surprisingly, younger voters remain more skeptical of the system than older voters do.
Fifty-five percent (55%) of Likely U.S. Voters share at least a somewhat favorable opinion of the government retirement system, although that includes just 28% with a Very Favorable view of it. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 40% hold an unfavorable view of Social Security, but only 12% regard it Very Unfavorably. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 29-30, 2011 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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                            January 4, 201257% Say Military Veterans Should Get Preferential Treatment in Hiring
Thirty-nine percent (39%) know someone who joined the military because of the bad job market, and most adults feel that veterans like those now returning from Iraq should be given special consideration when applying for a private sector job.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% of Americans believe veterans should receive preferential treatment when applying for a job.  That’s up 11 points from 46% in May 2009.  Twenty-six percent (26%) disagree and oppose special treatment for veterans, but 18% more are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on December 30, 2011 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.
January 3, 2012Election 2012: Generic Republican 47%, Obama 43%
A generic Republican candidate now holds a four-point lead over President Obama in a hypothetical Election 2012 matchup.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the short holiday week ending Friday, December 30, finds that 47% of Likely U.S. Voters would support the generic Republican candidate if the presidential election were held today, while 43% would vote for Obama. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate, and seven percent (7%) 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 3,000 Likely Voters was conducted December 26-30, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
January 3, 2012Rasmussen Employment Index Ends Year on High Note
The Rasmussen Employment Index, which measures workers’ perceptions of the labor market each month, rose two points in December to reach 79.2, its highest level since November 2010. Generally speaking, an increase in the Rasmussen Employment Index suggests the upcoming government reports on job creation will be better than the prior month.
The survey of 8,561 working Americans was conducted in December 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 1 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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                            January 3, 2012Voters See All GOP Hopefuls As Conservative, But Romney, Paul Least So
Voters identify all of the leading Republican presidential contenders as ideological conservatives but see Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, the leaders in polls going into today’s Iowa Caucuses, as the least conservative of the group. 
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% of Likely U.S. Voters regard Romney as at least somewhat conservative, including 14% who say he’s Very Conservative.  Twenty-six percent (26%) say Romney’s a moderate. Only nine percent (9%) think the former Massachusetts governor is somewhat or very liberal, and another nine percent (9%) aren’t sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
January 3, 2012Obama Full-Month Approval Index Inches Up in December
When tracking President Obama’s job approval on a daily basis, people sometimes get so caught up in the day-to-day fluctuations that they miss the bigger picture. To look at the longer-term trends, Rasmussen Reports compiles the numbers on a full-month basis, and the results can be seen in the graphics below.
Overall, the president's numbers improved slightly in December, though he ends 2011 with a lower rating than he began it.
In December, 23% of voters Strongly Approved of the president’s job performance, up two points from the previous month.   The number who Strongly Disapproved of the president’s performance in December was at 40%, showing no change from November.
January 3, 2012VIDEO - Romney: Obama Has Not Fulfilled Promises
Romney: Obama Has Not Fulfilled Promises

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            January 3, 2012Romney, Paul on Top, But Read Iowa Caucus Polls With Caution
Scott Rasmussen takes a look at what the polling in Iowa suggests for today's caucuses and why polling for a caucus is much more difficult than polling for a primary or general election.
January 2, 2012'Nuts' to Iran By Froma Harrop
When the Germans told Gen. Anthony McAuliffe to surrender his forces in Belgium during World War II, the commander of the 101st Airborne Division famously replied, "Nuts!" The German officers didn't quite get his drift, which was "Go to hell."
January 2, 2012Generic Ballot: Republicans 43%, Democrats 38%
Republicans now hold a five-point advantage over Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the short holiday week ending Friday, Dec. 30. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 43% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Republican in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while 38% would choose the Democrat instead.
Republicans posted a smaller 43% to 40% lead the previous week and were ahead by the exact same margin the week before that.
January 2, 2012Partisan Trends: Number of Democrats Falls to All-Time Low
The number of Republicans in the country increased by a percentage point in December, while the number of Democrats fell back two points to the lowest level ever recorded by Rasmussen Reports. 
During December, 35.4% of Americans considered themselves Republicans. That’s up from 34.3% in November and just below the high for the year of 35.6% reached in May.
At the same time, just 32.7% of adults said they were Democrats, down from 34.9% in November. The previous low for Democrats was 33.0% in August of this year. .
The number of voters not affiliated with either of the major political parties rose to 32.0% in December from 30.8% the month before.
Rasmussen Reports tracks this information based on telephone interviews with approximately 15,000 adults per month and has been doing so since November 2002. The margin of error for the full sample is less than one percentage point, with a 95% level of confidence.
January 2, 2012Election 2012: Obama 46%, Huntsman 33%
President Obama receives his highest level of support yet against former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman in their latest hypothetical 2012 general election matchup. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows the president with 46% support to Huntsman’s 33%.
The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 29-30, 2011 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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                            January 2, 201276% Say Wealthy Like Kim Kardashian Already Pay Enough in State Taxes
Tax hiking activists in California have been airing a TV commercial pointing out that millionaire celebrity Kim Kardashian pays a 10.3% state tax rate when the average middle class family is paying 9.3%. The commercial includes the full screen message “We All Need to Pay Our Fair Share.” But most voters nationally think the state's present tax rates are fair, and a sizable number say the 10.3% rate is too high. In short, the ad may not be resonating the way its promoters hope.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% of Likely U.S. Voters say it’s fair for the wealthy to pay a 10.3% rate while middle class families pay 9.3%. Just one-out-of-three voters (32%) think that arrangement is unfair. (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 29-30, 2011 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.
January 2, 2012Steady in Iowa, Romney Counts on New Hampshire, Florida By Michael Barone
Election year has finally arrived, well after the beginning of a turbulent and unpredictable elections season, and voting begins on Tuesday in the Iowa Republicans caucuses.
January 2, 2012Only 32% Favor National Parade Now for Troops Returning from Iraq
Unlike U.S. troops returning from World War II and the Gulf war, the veterans coming home from the now-ended war in Iraq won’t be getting a national parade to honor their service, and most Americans agree the parade should wait until all troops are withdrawn from Afghanistan, too.
The latest Rasmussen reports national telephone survey finds that only 32% of American Adults believe a national parade should be held to honor the final U.S. troops returning home from Iraq. Fifty-five percent (55%) say instead that the parade should wait until all troops are brought home from Afghanistan as well. Just nine percent (9%) don’t think there should be any parade at all. (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 30, 2011 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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                            January 1, 2012Personal Finance Ratings Up in December
On the final day of 2011, 36% of American adults rated their own finances as good or excellent. That was most optimistic assessment of the month and highlighted a trend of modestly improving confidence during the final two months of the year.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            January 1, 201212% View New Year’s Day As Most Important Holiday
One of the most highly anticipated holidays of the year is also one of the least important in the eyes of many Americans. 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 12% of American Adults consider New Year’s Day to be one of the nation’s most important holidays.  Thirty-two percent (32%) view it as the least important, while 52% see it as somewhere in between.  (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 December 26-27, 2011 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.