National Survey of 1,000 Adults
Conducted February 25-26, 2009

By Rasmussen Reports

1* Did you watch President Obama’s Tuesday night speech to Congress or read news stories about it?

70% Yes
28% No
2% Not sure

2* Which of three initiatives he proposed is more important — health care reform, development of new sources of energy or ensuring that every child has access to "a complete and competitive education"?

34% Health care

27% Development of new sources of energy

21% Ensuring that every child has access to a complete and competitive education

17% Not sure

3* The president also pledged to cut the federal deficit in half in four years. Which is more important - cutting the deficit in half, health care reform, development of new sources of energy or ensuring that every child has access to "a complete and competitive education"?

42% Cutting the deficit in half

24% Healthcare reform

17% Development of new sources of energy

10% Ensuring that every child has access to a complete and competitive education

7% Not sure

4* How important is health care reform – very important, somewhat important, not very important, not at all important?

54% Very important
27% Somewhat important
11% Not very important
8% Not at all important
1% Not sure

5* How important is development of new sources of energy – very important, somewhat important, not very important, not at all important?

58% Very important
31% Somewhat important
6% Not very important
4% Not at all important
1% Not sure

6* How important is ensuring that every child has access to "a complete and competitive education" – very important, somewhat important, not very important, not at all important?

56% Very important
30% Somewhat important
9% Not very important
5% Not at all important
1% Not sure

7* Which of these goals is the president most likely to achieve – cutting the deficit in half, health care reform, development of new sources of energy or ensuring that every child has access to "a complete and competitive education"?

15% Cutting the deficit in half

21% Healthcare reform

26% Development of new sources of energy

17% Ensuring that every child has access to a complete and competitive education

21% Not sure

8* Which of these goals is the president least likely to achieve – cutting the deficit, health care reform, development of new sources of energy or ensuring that every child has access to "a complete and competitive education"?

54% Cutting the deficit in half

16% Healthcare reform

8% Development of new sources of energy

10% Ensuring that every child has access to a complete and competitive education

11% Not sure

9* The president promised unprecedented government oversight of all government spending to insure that it is wisely and carefully spent. With this oversight, how confident are you that taxpayer money will be wisely and carefully spent?

14% Very confident
32% Somewhat confident
22% Not very confident
28% Not at all confident
4% Not sure

NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence