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.
Given last year’s record-high gasoline prices and the still-fluctuating price at the pump, most Americans aren’t interested in the government tacking on any more, even in the name of fuel efficiency.
If the federal government becomes the majority owner of General Motors and Chrysler, most Americans (57%) believe it’s likely the government will pass laws and regulations giving those firms an unfair advantage over other car companies. That figure includes 37% who consider such preferential treatment Very Likely.
Three-out-of-four American voters (75%) say that businesses do a better job than government agencies when it comes to handling customer service issues. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that only 11% take the opposite view and believe that government bodies do a better job.
Just 35% of American voters believe that a free market economy is the same as a capitalist economy. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 38% disagree and 27% are not sure.
Just 18% of Americans think the United Auto Workers union and the federal government will do a good job running Chrysler and General Motors, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
Twenty-four percent (24%) of Americans say they personally need to cut back on their use of credit cards and other borrowing, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone poll.
Sixty-eight percent (68%) of adults say a bigger economic problem than the current lack of credit is that Americans borrow too much money.
Barring a last-minute breakthrough, Chrysler appears headed for bankruptcy today as the only remaining way to stay in business, but just 25% of Americans say they would buy an automobile from a bankrupt automaker.
