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

ARCHIVE

28% Say U.S. is Heading in Right Direction

Twenty-eight percent (28%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending March 30.

This finding is down one point after holding steady at 29% for three weeks in a row.

Early last October during the federal government shutdown, confidence in the country’s course fell to 13%, the lowest finding in five years.

Sixty-four percent (64%) of voters now think the country is headed down the wrong track. That’s up one point from the previous week. Eighty percent (80%) felt the country was on the wrong track in early October.

A year ago, 35% said the country is heading in the right direction; 57% disagreed.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on March 24-30, 2014. 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.

Eighty-eight percent (88%) of Republicans and 75% of voters not affiliated with either major political party think the country is on the wrong track. Among Democrats, 52% believe the country is heading in the right direction, while 36% think it is on the wrong track.

Fifty percent (50%) of black voters think the country is headed in the right direction. Just 23% of whites and 35% of other minority voters agree.

Eighty-six percent (86%) of conservative voters and 59% of moderates believe the country is heading down the wrong track. Half of liberals (51%) believe it is headed in the right direction.

Seventy-four percent (74%) of the Political Class believe the country is heading in the right direction, but only 18% of Mainstream voters agree.

Democrats hold a one-point lead over Republicans on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot.

Forty-six percent (46%) oppose the so-called individual mandate in the new national health care law that requires every American to buy or obtain health insurance. Forty percent (40%) favor the requirement.

Just 24% now think the U.S. economy will be stronger a year from now.

The president’s monthly job approval rating fell back two points to 47% in March. Obama's approval rating had been climbing steadily in recent months from 45% in November, the lowest monthly finding in two years.

Forty-seven percent (47%) think it will take housing prices more than three years to recover from the downturn that began in 2008.

Crosstabs and historical data are available to Platinum Members only.

Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it's free) or follow us on Twitter or Facebook. Let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.

The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on March 24-30, 2014. 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.

Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.

We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.

Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.

To learn more about our methodology, click here.