Twenty-six percent (26%) of American adults believe it was a good idea for the federal government to take ownership of General Motors as the auto giant was on the verge of collapse. Nearly as many--17%--say that Americans should protest the bailout by boycotting GM and refusing to buy its cars. Most Americans are somewhere in between.
The Rasmussen Employment Index, a monthly measure of U.S. worker confidence in the employment market, rose for the third straight month in May.
General Motors for decades has been the symbol of U.S. industrial might. “What’s good for General Motors is good for the country” is a quotation that has lingered in the popular imagination since it was first said over 50 years ago. And the truth is, at its high point in 1962, GM had 51 percent of the car and truck market to itself.
Thirty-one percent (31%) of U.S. voters believe the economic stimulus package passed earlier this year has helped the economy. That's down from 34% who thought it would help in late February and 38% who held that view when it first passed earlier in the month.
Only 21% of voters nationwide support a plan for the government to bail out General Motors as part of a structured bankruptcy plan to keep the troubled auto giant in business.
Forty-two percent (42%) of Americans now say it will take more than three years for housing prices to recover. That’s up slightly from 40% a month ago.
To raise additional money for the government, just 18% of Americans nationwide favor a national sales tax. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 68% oppose such a tax.
President Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner both said this week that they see optimistic signs in the U.S. economy, but the short-term and long-term perspectives of most Americans remain unchanged over the past month.
With Chrysler in a government-supervised bankruptcy and General Motors expected to follow suit any day now, Ford is stretching its lead as the most highly regarded of the Big Three automakers.
Eighty-three percent (83%) of Americans say it’s likely there will still be a need for the U.S. Postal Service in 10 years, even as increasing numbers pay their bills and send personal letters via the Internet. Fifty-one percent (51%) say it is Very Likely there will be such a need.
Most Americans think the Ford Motor Company, the one Big Three automaker who won’t be run by the federal government, has the best chance of staying in business, but they also suspect the government won’t make it easy.
As if their business worries weren’t enough, small business owners are now getting even less time off, thanks to the country’s continuing economic problems.
Seventy-four percent (74%) of Americans say it is at least somewhat likely that the price of a first class postage stamp will be $1 or more within the next 10 years. Forty-six percent (46%) say it’s Very Likely.
Forty-six percent (46%) of Americans say military veterans should be given preferential treatment in hiring, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
Twenty-four percent (24%) of voters nationwide favor federal bailout funds for states like California that are encountering “serious financial problems.” The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 59% are opposed to such bailouts.
Forcing auto companies to make more fuel-efficient cars is fine, but Americans overwhelmingly believe it’s more important for the country to find new energy sources.
Forty-one percent (41%) of likely U.S. voters think the United States should legalize and tax marijuana to help solve the nation’s fiscal problems.
A majority of parents (61 percent) are not letting the recession change their plans for their children's college education, according to a survey by COUNTRY Financial. Further, 47 percent say college plans are a higher priority than retirement savings (41 percent).
Nearly one-out-of-four Americans (23%) say they are at least somewhat likely to miss a credit card payment in the next six months. Twelve percent (12%) say they are Very Likely to do so.
The number of U.S. homeowners who say their house is worth more than the amount they still owe on their mortgage is down five percentage points from a month ago and down 12 points since December.
