Americans Draw the Line at Police Use of Military-Grade Weapons
President Obama announced today a ban on the federal provision of some military-grade equipment to local police departments, a practice nearly half of Americans oppose.
Politics
Most Recent Releases
May 18, 2015
May 18, 2015
Most Think Iraq War A Major Voting Issue
Jeb Bush, a likely Republican presidential contender, stumbled last week when asked if he would have invaded Iraq in 2003 like his brother, President George W. Bush, did. Voters are closely divided over whether the president made the right decision 12 years ago, and most still consider the Iraq war an important voting issue.
May 15, 2015
Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 38%, Democrats 38%
Republicans and Democrats remain tied on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot.
May 15, 2015
Voters Say Yes to Deepwater Drilling, Maybe in the Gulf
Five years ago, the nation was focused on the disastrous BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and now the federal government has given the okay for deepwater drilling to resume nearby. Voters are closely divided on the wisdom of this decision, but most still favor deepwater drilling in general.
May 14, 2015
What If Michelle Obama Challenged Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Nomination?
Michelle Obama for president? What if she ran against the seemingly impregnable Hillary Clinton?
May 14, 2015
Most Voters Still Approve of Military Service for Illegal Immigrants
Congress is debating whether to encourage illegal immigrants to join the military as a path to citizenship, and most voters continue to think that's a good idea.
May 13, 2015
U.S. Voters Still Strongly Dislike Putin
Secretary of State John Kerry visited Russia this week for the first time since the Ukraine crisis began last year to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other top officials. Negative opinions of Putin remain high among U.S. voters.
May 12, 2015
Voters Worry Military Exercises May Lead to Federal Control Of States
Eight weeks of U.S. military exercises this summer in several southwestern states - dubbed Jade Helm 15 - have some wondering if the government is preparing for martial law. Most voters don’t oppose such exercises, but a surprising number worry about what the federal government is up to.
May 12, 2015
Will A Republican Be the Next President?
There’s still a ways to go before Election Day 2016, but most voters – especially Republicans – think a GOP victory is likely.
May 11, 2015
Illegal or Not, Voters Are More Supportive Than Ever of NSA
Following a federal appeals court ruling that the National Security Agency’s mass collection of Americans’ phone records is illegal, voters are actually more supportive of the agency’s actions and put even more emphasis on preventing a terrorist attack over protecting privacy.
May 8, 2015
Voters Give Huckabee Best Shot at Nomination of This Week’s GOP Newcomers
Republicans think Mike Huckabee has the best chance of getting the GOP presidential nomination of the three new contenders in the race this week, but then he’s the best-known of the trio.
May 8, 2015
When is More Defense Spending Enough?
Congress and the president are battling over a federal budget that spends more on the military, but voters are less gung-ho about increasing defense spending than they were three months ago. Still, support for more spending on defense remains higher than it has been in several years.
May 7, 2015
Note to 2016 Hopefuls: Don't Call Yourself a Socialist or Career Politician
The 2016 presidential race has its first self-described socialist candidate now that longtime Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is running for the Democratic nomination, but most voters see this political label as toxic.
May 6, 2015
Americans See Bigger Domestic Terror Threat
Following the abortive terrorist attack in Texas this weekend, most Americans agree that Islamic terrorism is now a bigger threat inside the United States.
May 6, 2015
A Tale of Two Pollsters
The New York Times reports in their latest poll released late yesterday that Americans don’t care about Hillary Clinton’s e-mail and Clinton Foundation problems. They conclude that the former secretary of State and putative Democratic presidential nominee in 2016 has weathered the storm so far.
For Democrats, it’s always advantageous when pollsters turn to Americans in general or even registered voters rather than Likely Voters like those we routinely survey here at Rasmussen Reports. It’s true that Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say they intend to vote which helps explain why Democrats are always championing schemes like same-day voter registration, mail-in voting and the like to get their voters to the polls. But, historically, we’ve also found that polling likely voters gets us closer to the actual end result than surveying Americans as a whole.
May 5, 2015
Voters Strongly Favor Body Cameras for Cops
Voters overwhelmingly favor requiring cops to wear uniform cameras, but will it make us all safer?
May 5, 2015
Will Bernie Sanders Be the Democratic Nominee in 2016?
Bernie Sanders has some work to do if he wants to be the next Democratic nominee for president of the United States.
May 4, 2015
Voters Want Spending Cuts But Are More Doubtful They'll Happen
Most voters continue to favor across-the-board spending cuts by the federal government, but more than ever don’t expect the government to oblige.
May 4, 2015
Obama, George W. Bush Are Boost in Primaries Only
Message to presidential hopefuls: Comparing yourself to President Obama or his predecessor, George W. Bush, is a much better idea during primary season than it is during the general election.
May 1, 2015
Voters Remain Cautious About Prison Reform
Hillary Clinton this week joined the chorus of Democrats and Republicans calling for ways to reduce the number of Americans in prison, and voters still tend to be cautiously supportive of that overall goal.
