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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February 19, 2010

43% Expect Change If GOP Takes Over Congress, 32% Don’t

Given increasing voter unhappiness with Congress, many analysts suggest Republicans may win control of at least the House in this November’s elections, but voters have mixed feelings about how big a change that might really be.

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February 19, 2010

73% Agree That Washington Is “Broken”

Seventy-three percent (73%) of U.S. voters agree with Vice President Joseph Biden that “Washington right now is broken.”

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February 18, 2010

Only 21% Say U.S. Government Has Consent of the Governed

The founding document of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, states that governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Today, however, just 21% of voters nationwide believe that the federal government enjoys the consent of the governed.

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February 17, 2010

Voters Think Democrats More Likely To Have A Plan for the Future

The first President Bush called it “the vision thing,” and voters are more confident that the Democratic Party has it than do Republicans. They also see Democrats as more ideological than the GOP these days.

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February 16, 2010

43% Say Local Government Better Than Feds, States

Forty-three percent (43%) of U.S. voters rate the performance of their local government as tops compared to its counterparts on the state and federal level.

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February 15, 2010

59% Favor Letting States Opt Out of Federal Programs

Voters strongly believe that a state should have the right to avoid federal programs it doesn’t like, but they draw the line at states seceding from the union.

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February 10, 2010

35% Say New Political Party Is Needed

Thirty-five percent (35%) of U.S. voters now think Republicans and Democrats are so much alike that an entirely new political party is needed to represent the American people.

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February 9, 2010

63% Say Better for Country If Most of Congress Not Reelected

Most voters think the country would be better off if the majority of the current Congress wasn’t reelected this November, and their confidence in their own congressman continues to fall.

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February 9, 2010

Tea Party Candidate Now Comes In Last On Three-Way Generic Ballot

For Republicans, the good news is that the Tea Party challenge is a little less scary for now. The bad news is that Democrats are still ahead in a three-way Generic Ballot test.

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February 8, 2010

75% Are Angry At Government’s Current Policies

Voters are madder than ever at the current policies of the federal government.

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February 5, 2010

Politically Speaking, Populist Isn’t Popular, But Conservative Is

If you’re a politician, don’t call yourself a populist. And liberal isn’t much better.

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February 4, 2010

Just 35% Realize Most Federal Spending Goes to National Defense, Social Security, Medicare

Budget documents provided by the Obama administration show that in Fiscal Year 2009 50% of all federal spending went to national defense,

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February 1, 2010

44% Say Terrorist Trials Should Be Held at Guantanamo, 33% Disagree

The Obama administration is moving a planned terrorist trial out of New York City because of growing public opposition, and 44% of U.S. voters say the trials of all suspected terrorists linked to 9/11 should be held at Guantanamo Bay.

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January 31, 2010

65% Now Hold Populist, or Mainstream, Views

Sixty-five percent (65%) of voters nationwide now hold populist, or Mainstream, views of government. That’s up from 62% last September and 55% last March.

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January 27, 2010

26% Expect GOP Takeover of House in November

The Republicans would have to win 40 new congressional seats to take control of the House of Representatives, but 26% of U.S. voters think that’s Very Likely to happen this November. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only three percent (3%) rule out the possibility and say it's Not at All Likely.

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January 24, 2010

Mixed Reviews for Supreme Court’s Campaign Finance Ruling

Following the Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance issues, the reaction from voters is mixed.

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January 19, 2010

58% View Hillary Clinton Favorably

The U.S. reaction to the earthquake in Haiti again finds Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the shadow of President Obama when it comes to American foreign policy, but voters have a more favorable opinion of Clinton than they’ve had in months.

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January 18, 2010

Interest High In Massachusetts Senate Race: 49% Nationally Want Brown To Win, 34% Pulling For Coakley

Like fans cheering for their favorite football teams, voters nationwide are paying attention to the special U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts. Almost half of them are rooting for Republican candidate Scott Brown over his Democratic opponent, Martha Coakley.

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January 14, 2010

67% Say News Media Have Too Much Influence Over Government Decisions

Voters are even more convinced now that the news media have too much influence on the actions of government and try to help political candidates they want to win. Most also still think the average reporter is more liberal than they are.

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January 12, 2010

31% Like Government Response to Airline Incident, 38% Don’t

Thirty-one percent (31%) of U.S. voters rate the government response to the attempted terrorist bombing of a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day as good or excellent, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.