If it's in the News, it's in our Polls. Public opinion polling since 2003.

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July 4, 2011

Replacing Property as a Source of Wealth Creation By Michael Barone

One of the interesting things about our country, the independence of which the Founders declared 235 years ago today, is that we have been a property-holders' democracy.

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July 3, 2011

54% Say U.S. Is Nation of Liberty and Justice for All

Millions and millions of Americans routinely recite the Pledge of Allegiance at countless gatherings across the United States. And, when they do, they close with the line about how our nation is a land of “liberty and justice for all.”

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July 3, 2011

Full Month Approval Ratings for President Slip in June

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.

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July 3, 2011

43% See George Washington As Greatest Founding Father

As America prepares to celebrate its 235th birthday, a plurality of adults still sees the nation’s first president as its greatest founder.

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July 2, 2011

Partisan Trends: 34.7% of Americans are Democrats, 34.4% Republicans

For the first time since March, more American adults consider themselves Democrats rather than Republicans.

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July 2, 2011

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending July 2, 2011

As the United States prepares to celebrate its 235th birthday, Americans still overwhelmingly agree with the ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence. Ninety percent (90%) agree that “we are all endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  Americans also strongly support the beliefs that we are all created equal and the government’s derive their only just authority from the consent of the governed. Men tend to be stronger supporters of these views than women, but majorities of just about all demographic groups agree.

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July 1, 2011

57% View Hillary Clinton Favorably

Globe-trotting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was in Hungary this week urging greater democratic freedoms, remains the most well-known and well-liked member of President Obama’s Cabinet among voters back at home. 

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July 1, 2011

Americans Under 40 Skeptical About Receiving Promised Social Security Benefits

Just 26% of voters under 40 believe it’s even Somewhat Likely they will receive all of their promised Social Security benefits.  That includes only 5% who say it’s Very Likely those benefits will be paid.

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July 1, 2011

51% Say Gov't Should Force Oil Companies To Use Profits To Develop Alternative Energy

Voters strongly believe the United States is not doing enough to explore alternative sources of energy, and most still think oil companies should devote big money to searching for those types of energy.

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July 1, 2011

Big Steps and Baby Steps By Susan Estrich

Just days after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law legislation legalizing same-sex marriage, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee and the coalition supporting similar legislation in that state effectively conceded defeat.

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July 1, 2011

Americans Still Agree With Ideals Set Forth in the Declaration of Independence

The upcoming Fourth of July holiday marks the 235th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence's adoption by the Continental Congress, and most Americans still agree with the central tenets of the document that declared the nation's independence from Great Britain. Whether the United States meets those lofty goals is subject to debate.

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July 1, 2011

Four Trillion for War -- and Rising By Joe Conason

Anyone paying attention to the costs of U.S. military action in Iraq and Afghanistan must have known that the president badly underestimated those numbers on June 22, when he told the nation that we have spent "a trillion dollars" waging war over the past decade.

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June 30, 2011

Most Americans Give Constitution High Marks, Say Don't Change It

Most Americans still believe the U.S. Constitution has a positive impact on American life and think it should be left as is. But a sizable number also feels the document does not put enough restrictions on government.

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June 30, 2011

65% Believe Americans Should Have Right to Pick Own Social Security Retirement Age

While politicians argue whether to increase Social Security taxes or raise the retirement age for eligibility, voters think such decisions should be made closer to home.

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June 30, 2011

Voters Give Mixed Marks to Biden, Boehner; Still Don't Like Pelosi

Vice President Joseph Biden and House Speaker John Boehner have received an increase in media attention for being at the center of the ongoing debt ceiling negotiations, but voters have not changed their opinions of the two men.  Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remains the most disliked leader on Capitol Hill.

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June 30, 2011

10% Would Base Their Vote On A Candidate’s Religion

Voters say overwhelmingly that they would not vote for or against a political candidate solely because of the religion he or she practices.

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June 30, 2011

Exactly Why Are the Kids Coming Home? By Froma Harrop

The age of "residential adolescence" is upon us, apparently. Nearly 45 percent of adults ages 20 to 24 now live at home with their parents. That's 1.7 million more than in 2005.

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June 30, 2011

Democrats Need a 12-Step Recovery Program on Taxes By Lawrence Kudlow

It seems this is the Democratic answer for every single issue, every problem, every debate.

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June 30, 2011

46% Think America’s Best Days Are in The Past

U.S. voters continue to be largely pessimistic about the country's future.

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June 30, 2011

Why the Civil Service Is No Way to Run a Business By Michael Barone

What's the fair way to run a large organization? That's a question that is squarely, and interestingly, raised by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's dissenting opinion in Wal-Mart v. Dukes, a Supreme Court case decided last week.