Just 32% See Democrats' Agenda As Mainstream
Fewer than half the nation’s voters believe the congressional agenda of either major party is in the political mainstream.
February 2011
Most Recent Releases
March 4, 2011
March 1, 2011
53% See Proposed GOP Budget Cuts As Pretty Insignificant
Congress is stalemated as Democrats fight $57 billion in spending cuts Republicans want to make in the federal budget for 2011, but most voters continue to believe that even the proposed GOP cuts won’t make a significant dent in the deficit.
February 28, 2011
58% Favor Government Shutdown Until Spending Cuts Are Agreed Upon
As Republicans and Democrats in Congress haggle over the budget, most voters would rather have a partial shutdown of the federal government than keep its spending at current levels.
February 25, 2011
46% View Unionized Teachers As a Bad Thing, 37% Disagree
Americans continue to believe strongly that being a teacher is an essential job, but a plurality thinks it’s a bad thing that most teachers are unionized.
February 24, 2011
67% Disapprove of Legislators Fleeing Wisconsin to Avoid Vote
Half of America’s voters favor public sector unions for government workers, but they strongly oppose the tactic by Wisconsin state senators to flee their state to prevent a vote that would limit the rights of such unions.
February 22, 2011
47% Say GOP Has Plan for Future, 41% Say Same of Democrats
Voters have more confidence now that Republicans rather than Democrats have a plan for the future, and they’re almost evenly divided over whether either political party is really the party of the American people.
February 21, 2011
48% Back GOP Governor in Wisconsin Spat, 38% Side With Unions
A sizable number of voters are following new Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s showdown with unionized public employees in his state, and nearly half side with the governor.
February 20, 2011
37% Consider Reagan Most Influential President of the Last 50 Years
Americans view Ronald Reagan as America's most influential president in the past half-century.
February 19, 2011
55% Say America's Allies Should Do What We Want More Often
Many people believe the United States and its allies should cooperate more, and a solid majority of U.S. voters still think that the better way for that to happen is for America's allies to follow our lead.
February 16, 2011
Just 28% Say Federal Government Has Consent of Governed
Most voters still feel there’s a disconnect between themselves and Congress, but they appear a bit more confident that members of Congress can outperform the average Joe.
February 15, 2011
Just 33% Want Amtrak Subsidies to Continue
Americans like the general idea of investing in infrastructure, but most want to stop underwriting the Amtrak rail service.
February 14, 2011
41% Favor High-Speed Rail Plan, 46% Oppose
Voters aren’t paying much attention to the president’s plan for building a high-speed rail system, but there is a huge partisan gap in perceptions of the plan.
February 12, 2011
76% Say It’s Good for America When Dictators Replaced by Leaders Chosen in Free Elections
From the beginning of the American experiment, people in the United States have viewed the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence as a guiding light to the world. Just as importantly, Americans tend to think our nation will be better off if others follow that example.
February 10, 2011
62% Still Favor Death Penalty for Fort Hood Killer
Voters are now more inclined to view the November 2009 massacre at Fort Hood, Texas as a criminal act rather than terrorism, but they feel just as strongly that the Muslim U.S. Army major charged with the killings should be executed if convicted in his upcoming trial.
February 9, 2011
Just 45% Know That U.S. Has World’s Biggest Economy
The United States of America boasts the world’s largest economy, but fewer than half the nation’s voters recognize this fact.
February 9, 2011
80% Say Terrorists Are Bigger Threat to U.S. Than Traditional Wars
While U.S. troops are fighting daily in Afghanistan, the nation's longest-running war, voters overwhelmingly think terrorism is a bigger threat to the country than traditional wars.
February 8, 2011
60% Recognize That Government Spending Has Increased Every Year Since 1954
In 1954, the average new house cost just over $10,000, a new car was under $2,000, gasoline was under 30 cents a gallon, and you could buy a magazine for 20 cents.
February 8, 2011
Voters Still Wary of Changes in Egypt, But 68% Say U.S. Should Not Get Involved
Voters aren’t convinced that changing the government in Egypt is good for the United States, but they still feel strongly that America should stay out of the political crisis engulfing its Middle Eastern ally.
February 8, 2011
27% See UN As U.S. Ally, 15% As An Enemy
The United Nations has been conspicuously absent from the diplomatic activity surrounding the political crisis in Egypt, but few U.S. voters lack an opinion of the New York-based international organization.
February 7, 2011
68% Believe Government and Big Business Work Together Against the Rest of Us
President Obama told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce today that government and business “can and must work together."
