Twenty-eight percent (28%) 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 week ending Sunday, May 12.

This week’s finding is down three points from the previous two weeks.

The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports May 7-12, 2012. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

As they have for nearly three years now, voters trust Republicans more than Democrats when it comes to handling the economy, by far  the top issue on a list of 10 regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports.  They put slightly more trust in Democrats on health care, the second most important issue. 

Forty-nine percent (49%) of Likely U.S. Voters now trust the GOP with economic issues, while 38% trust the Democrats more. That's the highest level of confidence in the Republicans since last October. In January, Republicans held a 47% to 40% edge on the economy. They've been trusted more than Democrats on this issue since early June 2009. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Two national surveys of 1,000 Likely Voters each were conducted on March 25-26 & 27-28, 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.

The number of Democrats and Republicans in the United States dipped slightly in April, while the number of unaffiliated voters is up two points. 

During April, 35.1% of Americans considered themselves Republicans.  That’s down from 36.4% in March  and the lowest level measured since November of last year.

Americans' ongoing uneasiness about their finances is putting some cracks in how they feel about their retirement nest eggs. The COUNTRY Financial Security Index® dropped one point to 63.7 in June, in part because confidence in retirement reached an all-time low.

45% of Owners Whose Profitability Suffered in Downturn Don't Expect Sustained Recovery for Another Year; Two-Thirds of All Owners Likely to Tap Personal Assets

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows President Obama earning 47% of the vote and Mitt Romney attracting 44% support. Five percent (5%) would vote for a third party candidate, while another five percent (5%) are undecided.

Republicans hold a four-point lead on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending Sunday, May 20. 

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 39% would choose the Democrat instead. This gap is down from last week when Republicans led by seven but is consistent with the level of support the GOP has been earning since early March.

The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from May 14-20, 2012. 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.

In the final full month of his Presidency, just 13% of American adults said they Strongly Approved of the way that George W. Bush performed his job as president. Forty-three percent (43%) Strongly Disapproved.

Newspaper circulation has been eroding, television audiences shrinking, and reporters sent looking for work. But, while mainstream journalists and their companies struggle with the realities of an online world, consumers of journalism are pleased with the results.

October 11th is Columbus Day—the holiday honoring the anniversary of the October 12, 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas. A recent Rasmussen Reports survey found that only 11% declare Columbus Day as one of the nation’s most important holidays.