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Voters Prefer New Energy Sources to Nuclear Power

Voters remain conflicted over the construction of new nuclear plants in the United States and still tend to think that money would be better spent on new sources of energy. 

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 38% of Likely U.S. Voters think more nuclear power plants should be built in the United States, but just as many (38%) disagree. This shows little change from September. One-in-four (24%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 30-31, 2015 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.

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29% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Twenty-nine percent (29%) 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 April 2. 

This finding is unchanged from the previous week but up two points from the week before that which marked the lowest level of confidence this year.  The number of voters who think the country is heading in the right direction has been 30% or higher most weeks since mid-December after generally being in the mid- to high 20s since mid-June 2013.

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The national telephone survey of 2,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from March 29-April 2, 2015. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Most Voters Want More Aggressive Deportation Policies

More voters than ever feel the United States is not aggressive enough in deporting those who are here illegally, even as President Obama continues to push his plan to make up to five million illegal immigrants safe from deportation.

Just 16% of Likely U.S. Voters think the U.S. government is too aggressive in deporting those who are in the country illegally. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 62% believe the government is not aggressive enough in deporting these illegal immigrants, up from 52% a year ago and 56% in November. Fifteen percent (15%) feel the current number of deportations is about right. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 1-2, 2015 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.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending April 4, 2015

This Easter weekend marks the close of a bad week for those wishing to practice their religious faith without interference from the government.

Republican governors in Indiana and Arkansas backtracked on religious freedom laws, already common in a number of other states, in the face of widespread business and special interest criticism. The laws were seen by supporters as protecting the religious rights of individuals but were characterized by critics as anti-gay.

Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 40%, Democrats 36%

Republicans have jumped out to a four-point lead on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending April 2 finds that 40% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Republican candidate in their district's congressional race if the election were held today, while 36% would choose the Democrat instead. Twenty-three percent (23%) prefer a third-party candidate or are undecided.

The week before, Republicans led by just a point. The Democratic candidate first fell to a low of 36% in early March, and it was the lowest level of support for the party in three years. The GOP last hit a low of 36% a year ago. Still, both parties have struggled to get out of the 30s for most of 2015, and the gap between the two generally has been two points or less most weeks for more than a year now.

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The national telephone survey of 2,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from March 29-April 2, 2015. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Demographic details and trends for this survey are available for Platinum Members only.

Obama’s Full-Month Approval Holds Steady in March

When tracking President Obama’s job approval on a daily basis, people sometimes get so caught up in the day-to-day fluctuations that they miss the bigger picture. To look at the longer-term trends, Rasmussen Reports compiles the numbers on a full-month basis, and the results can be seen in the graphics below. 

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Daily tracking results are collected via telephone surveys of 500 likely voters per night. The monthly numbers in this article are based on approximately 10,000 interviews each month with likely voters. The margin of sampling error is less than +/- 1 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

More Voters Think They’re On The Same Page with Congress

While Republicans now run both houses of Congress, GOP voters remain critical of the legislators but not as much as Democrats and unaffiliated voters are.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 24-25, 2015 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.

29% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Twenty-nine percent (29%) 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 26. 

This finding is up two points from the previous week which marked the lowest level of confidence this year.  The number of voters who think the country is heading in the right direction has been 30% or higher most weeks since mid-December after generally being in the mid- to high 20s since mid-June 2013.

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The national telephone survey of 2,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from March 22-26, 2015. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Costs Up, Quality Down: How Voters Still See Obamacare

Five years after its passage by Congress, attitudes about the national health care law remain largely unchanged: Voters expect it to increase health care costs and hurt the quality of care. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 26 and 29, 2015 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.

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending March 28, 2015

Americans clearly have issues with the federal government, and shelling out a portion of their income for taxes this time of year isn’t likely to make them feel any better.

Only 19% of voters now trust the federal government to do the right thing most or nearly all the time. Sixty percent (60%) consider the feds a threat to individual liberty rather than a protector of their rights.

Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 39%, Democrats 38%

Republicans lead Democrats by just one point on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending March 26 finds that 39% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Republican candidate in their district's congressional race if the election were held today, while 38% would choose the Democrat instead. Twenty-four percent (24%) continue to prefer a third-party candidate or are undecided.

The week before, the two parties were tied. The gap between the parties has generally been two points or less most weeks for more than a year now.

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The national telephone survey of 2,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from March 22-26, 2015. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Demographic details and trends for this survey are available for Platinum Members only.

Voters Put More Emphasis on Western Values in Schools

Voters still think U.S. public schools fall short when it comes to providing a world-class education and teaching Western values. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 8-9, 2015 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.

27% Say U.S. Heading in the Right Direction

Twenty-seven percent (27%) 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 19. 

This finding is down five points from the previous week and the lowest level of confidence this year. The number of voters who think the country is heading in the right direction has been 30% or higher every week but one since mid-December after being in the mid- to high 20s most weeks since mid-June 2013.

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The national telephone survey of 2,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from March 15-19, 2015. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Crosstabs and historical data are available to Platinum Members only.

Voters Doubt America Is Safer Than It Was Pre-9/11

Voters are less pessimistic about U.S. efforts in fighting terrorism globally, but confidence that the homeland is safer than it was before 9/11 is at a multi-year low.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 33% of Likely U.S. Voters believe the United States and its allies are winning the War on Terror. That’s up from last month’s low of 19% and is the highest level of confidence measured since April of last year. Confidence in U.S. anti-terrorism efforts hit a high of 62% in February 2009 just after President Obama’s inauguration, then steadily deteriorated until the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011 when it rebounded into the 50s. But it had been trending steadily down for the past two years prior to the latest survey.

But just as many (33%) think the terrorists are winning the war, although that's down slightly from last month’s high of 37%. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say neither side is winning. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 18-19, 2015 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.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending March 21

Congress may not be voters’ favorite group of people, but when it comes to matters of war and peace, they want Congress to decide.

Voters aren’t happy with the letter 47 Republican senators sent to the Iranian government raising concerns about the nuclear deal the Obama administration is negotiating with Iran. But most believe that any deal the administration negotiates with the Iranians needs to be approved by Congress before it goes into effect.

Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 39%, Democrats 39%

Republicans and Democrats are tied on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot.

In the previous survey, Republicans were ahead by just a point – 39% to 38%. The week before, Republicans had a five-point lead - 41% to 36%, their biggest since December 2013. Prior to that, Democrats had been slightly ahead for most weeks this year. The gap between the parties has generally been two points or less most weeks for more than a year now.

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The national telephone survey of 2,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from March 15-19, 2015. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

32% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Thirty-two percent (32%) 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 12. 

This finding is up three points from the previous week. The week ending January 25, the percentage of voters who felt the country was heading in the right direction hit 35%, the highest level of confidence in nearly two years but had been trending down since then. The number of voters who think the country is heading in the right direction had been 30% or higher since mid-December after being in the mid- to high 20s most weeks since mid-June 2013.

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The national telephone survey of 2,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from March 8-12, 2015. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Costs Are Biggest Health Care Problem for Most, and Feds Can’t Help

Most voters continue to put reducing health care costs ahead of requiring everyone to have health insurance and think keeping the government out of the market is the best way to reduce those costs. But support for tort reform is down.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that when it comes to reforming health care in this country, 59% of Likely U.S. Voters believe reducing the cost of health care is more important than making sure that everyone has health insurance. Thirty-six percent (36%) disagree and feel it is more important to mandate universal health insurance. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 12 and 15, 2015 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.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending March 14, 2015

What if Hillary Clinton doesn’t run? That thought crossed more than a few minds this week as Clinton’s e-mail and donations problems escalated, and suddenly former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, among others, started having his media calls returned.

Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 39%, Democrats 38%

Republicans still hold a small lead over Democrats on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending March 12 finds that 39% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Republican candidate in their district's congressional race if the election were held today, while 38

(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 2,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from March 8-12, 2015. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Demographic details and trends for this survey are available for Platinum Members only.

% would choose the Democrat instead. Nearly one-in-four voters (23%) continue to prefer a third-party candidate or are undecided.