Seventy-five percent (75%) of U.S. voters say they plan to watch at least some of Barack Obama’s inauguration live next week, including 28% who plan to watch it all, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Twenty-one percent (21%) say they will not watch any of the presidential swearing-in ceremony and the activities surrounding it on January 20, and three percent (3%) aren’t sure.

Thirty-two percent (32%) of female voters plan to watch it all live, compared to 25% of male voters. But then one-quarter of men (25%) don’t plan to watch any of it either versus just 18% of women.

Voters ages 18-29 are nearly twice as likely to watch all of it as those 65 and older. Similarly, 50% of those who earn under $20,000 a year intend to watch all of the inauguration, as opposed to just 13% of those who make more than $100,000 annually.

Since Obama is the first African-American president of the United States, it’s no surprise that 61% of black voters say they plan to watch all of the activities surrounding his taking the oath of office versus 22% of whites. Twenty-four percent (24%) of white voters and eight percent (8%) of blacks don’t plan to watch it at all.

Democrats are a lot more enthusiastic viewers, too. While 47% of Democrats say they will watch all of the upcoming inauguration of the new Democratic president, only 13% of Republicans and 19% of unaffiliated voters say they will do the same. Thirty-one percent (31%) of both GOP and unaffiliated voters do not plan to watch any of the inauguration, along with seven percent (7%) of Democrats.

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On Saturday, the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Approval Index gave Obama a rating of +26, three points below his highest ratings to date.

Thirty-seven percent (37%) of voters rate the way Obama and his team have handled the transition to power since Election Day as excellent, with another 29% giving them good marks. Just nine percent (9%) say they’ve done a poor job.

Given the economic problems facing the country and the size of the Democrats’ wins on Election Day, including both the White House and larger majorities in Congress, some have complained that Obama should have been able to take over sooner from President George W. Bush.

But just 32% say the time between Election Day on the first Tuesday in November and the presidential inauguration should be shorter. Forty-eight percent (48%) say the time should not be shortened, while 20% are not sure.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of Republicans say the time should not be shorter, but 20% disagree. Democrats are much more closely divided on the question. A plurality of unaffiliated voters by 15 points are opposed to shortening the time between Election Day and the inauguration.

Seventy percent (70%) say they have been following news stories about the preparations for the inauguration at last somewhat closely, with 28% saying they have followed Very Closely. Six percent (6%)haven’t followed this news at all, and one percent (1%) are undecided.

Nearly half of U.S. voters (48%) now think politics in Washington, D.C., will be more cooperative in the next year.

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