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

General Politics

Most Recent Releases

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July 29, 2010

Voters See Cutting Spending and Deficits as Good for the Economy, Political Class Disagrees

In official Washington, there appears to be a belief that policy makers must choose between helping the economy or reducing spending and deficits. A number of polling companies have even asked questions on the trade-off.

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July 26, 2010

43% Say Marijuana Should Be Legalized, 42% Disagree

Americans are evenly divided over whether marijuana should be legalized in the United States, but most expect it to happen within the next decade.

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July 26, 2010

87% Say America Likely To Elect Woman President in Next 25 Years

Eighty-seven percent (87%) of U.S. voters say it is at least somewhat likely that a woman will be elected president of the United States in the next 25 years, up eight points from nearly four years ago.

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July 23, 2010

75% Say Free Markets Better Than Government Management of Economy, Political Class Disagrees

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 75% of Likely Voters prefer free markets over a government managed economy. Just 14% think a government managed economy is better while 11% are not sure. These figures have changed little since December.

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July 22, 2010

20% Favor Mosque Near Ground Zero, 54% Oppose

Just 20% of U.S. voters favor the building of an Islamic mosque near the Ground Zero site of the World Trade Center in New York City, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

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July 22, 2010

38% Support One-Year Moratorium on New Government Regulations, 34% Oppose

Voters have mixed feelings about government regulation of big business, but most feel small businesses are regulated too much. There is also a strong belief that more competition and less regulation would be better for the economy and job creation.

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July 19, 2010

Just 29% Want Congress to Consider Major Legislation During Lame Duck Session

If Republicans win control of Congress this fall, voters overwhelmingly believe the nation’s legislature should wait until the newly elected officials take office before considering major legislation. Most, however, expect that Democrats will try to pass new legislation before turning over control.

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July 16, 2010

47% Say GOP Takeover of Congress Would Bring ‘Noticeable Change’

Most voters now believe it is at least somewhat likely that Republicans will win control of both houses of Congress in this November’s elections, and nearly half say there will a noticeable change in the lives of Americans if this happens.

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July 16, 2010

23% Say U.S. Government Has the Consent of the Governed

The notion that governments derive their only just authority from the consent of the governed is a foundational principle of the American experiment.

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July 15, 2010

68% Say Political Class Doesn’t Care What Most Americans Think

The frustration that voters are expressing in 2010 goes much deeper than specific policies. At a more fundamental level, voters just don’t believe politicians are interested in the opinions of ordinary Americans.

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July 14, 2010

Voters Are Much More Embarrassed by Political Class Than By Arizona

Washington Post political columnist Dana Milbank recently wrote a column about Arizona’s response to illegal immigration and called it a “pariah state.” However, voters nationwide are far more worried about the nation’s Political Class than about Arizona’s response to illegal immigration.

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July 13, 2010

32% Favor Affirmative Action, 46% Oppose It

Recent news reports say the new financial regulatory bill before Congress includes a whole new layer of offices intended to promote the hiring of minorities and women, but voters remain lukewarm about the idea of affirmative action.

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July 4, 2010

Americans Strongly Support Ideals from Declaration of Independence

This Independence Day, Americans overwhelmingly agree with the core ideals instilled in the founding document of the United States.

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July 3, 2010

54% Agree That U.S. Is Nation with Liberty & Justice for All

Every morning children in school stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance, which says “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

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July 1, 2010

62% Say Constitution Should Be Left Alone

Most Americans say don’t mess with the U.S. Constitution, even though a plurality still believes it does not restrict the government enough.

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June 29, 2010

Administration Apparently In No Hurry, but 54% Still Oppose Closing of Guantanamo

A hot issue during the closing months of the Bush presidency and on the
2008 campaign trail, the prison camp for terrorists at the Guantanamo
Naval Base in Cuba has now faded from the headlines. President Obama’s
vow to close the prison seems on indefinite hold.

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June 24, 2010

48% See Government Today As A Threat to Individual Rights

Nearly half of American Adults see the government today as a threat to individual rights rather than a protector of those rights.

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June 22, 2010

Voters Say Hillary More Qualified To Be President Than Obama, Romney, Gingrich, Palin

U.S. voters think Hillary Clinton is more qualified to be president than Barack Obama, but most believe that both Democrats are more fit for the White House than three top Republicans interested in the job.

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June 22, 2010

12% See Secession Attempt as Very Likely in Next 25 Years Or So

As far as most Americans are concerned, the United States isn’t going away any time soon.

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June 21, 2010

62% Say Politicians Want Government to Have More Power and Money

When it comes to money and power, politicians want the government to have more of it, while voters want the government to have less. At least that’s what most Americans think.