Most Americans Agree With DeVos on Sexual Misconduct on Campuses
During a speech at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School last week about sexual assault on campus, education Secretary Betsy DeVos stated...
Social Issues
Most Recent Releases
September 13, 2017
August 25, 2017
Americans Say Media Identifies With Protesters, Trump With Police
Voters thought President Obama identified more with the protesters in places like Charlotte and Baltimore when they challenged the police.
July 28, 2017
Republicans Welcome Military Transgender Ban; Democrats Don’t
Voters are evenly divided over President Trump’s decision to prohibit from military service those who want to live openly as the opposite sex.
June 28, 2017
Most Uphold Baker’s Right to Refuse Gay Wedding Cake
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of a suburban Denver baker who was prosecuted for refusing for religious reasons to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. Most voters agree the baker has the right to say no.
June 16, 2017
Most Say Political Anger Triggered Congressional Shooter
Most Americans think politics is to blame for this week’s shooting attack on Republican members of Congress and aren’t writing it off as just random violence.
June 8, 2017
39% Say Americans Talk About Race Too Much, 33% Not Enough
Blacks tend to think Americans need to talk more about racial issues. Whites and other minorities are more likely to say enough's enough.
June 7, 2017
Americans Have a Bleak Outlook for Race Relations
Confidence in race relations in America remains down, and there isn’t much hope for the future.
June 7, 2017
Americans Recognize Importance of Police
It’s been a rough few years to be a police officer, with high-profile police shootings and riots dominating the news. But despite the negative press, Americans still value the police.
April 26, 2017
Most Favor Death Penalty, But Don't Think It Deters Crime
On Monday, Arkansas executed two death-row criminals in the nation’s first double execution since 2000. Americans in general still favor the death penalty, but they’re not convinced it actually helps deter crime.
January 27, 2017
Most Don’t Think Feds Should Help Fight Local Crime
President Trump this week introduced the possibility of sending federal law enforcement to Chicago if the city fails to stem its rising murder rate, but most voters think the feds should butt out of local crime.
December 2, 2016
Most Favor Death Penalty for Charleston Church Shooter
Jury selection is underway in the federal trial of Dylann Roof who stands accused of the shooting deaths of a pastor and eight parishioners in a black Charleston, South Carolina church last year. Most Americans believe Roof deserves the death penalty if found guilty.
November 30, 2016
Americans Rate Race Relations Even Worse in Government
Confidence in U.S. race relations hit an all-time low earlier this year, but Americans think they’re even worse in politics and government. However, most don’t think Americans are inherently racist.
October 4, 2016
Are Americans Tuning Out the NFL Over Protests?
A sizable number of Americans say they may give the National Football League a pass this year, thanks to the player protests over racial issues.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that nearly one-third (32%) of American Adults say they are less likely to watch an NFL game because of the growing number of Black Lives Matter protests by players on the field. Only 13% say they are more likely to watch a game because of the protests. Just over half (52%) say the protests have no impact on their viewing decisions. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(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 survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on October 2-3, 2016 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.
August 26, 2016
Voters Paint A Grim Racial Picture of America
The White House insists that blacks are better off after President Obama’s eight years in office, but voters strongly disagree. No wonder Republican nominee Donald Trump is reaching out to black voters, saying they have “nothing to lose” by supporting him.
July 28, 2016
Support for Body Cameras Up, Police Expected to Benefit Most
More Americans favor requiring police officers to wear body cameras while on duty but still tend to believe they will protect the cops more than those they deal with.
July 19, 2016
60% Say Race Relations Have Gotten Worse Since Obama’s Election
As the nation reels from angry protests and deadly violence against police officers, voters are more pessimistic than ever about the state of race relations in this country since the election of its first black president.
July 13, 2016
Most Say Media Inspires Attacks on Police
Americans strongly believe the media is emphasizing shootings by police officers involving black suspects over ones in which whites are shot and that that media coverage is prompting attacks on police.
June 14, 2016
Americans Strongly Disagree With Stanford Rape Sentence
The trial of a Stanford University freshman charged with sexually assaulting an unconscious woman has drawn widespread criticism for the perceived leniency of the judge’s sentencing. An overwhelming number of Americans agree that the six-month jail sentence is too easy, and most say cases like Stanford are fair game for politicians to discuss publicly.
