Politics

Most Recent Releases

October 14, 2011New Low: 32% Support Obama’s Decision To Take Military Action in Libya
As fighting drags on in Libya, support for U.S. military action there and confidence that a change of government in the North African country will be good for the United States have fallen to new lows.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 32% of Likely U.S. Voters now agree with President Obama’s decision to take military action in Libya, down from 45% support in mid-March just after it began and 39% last month following premature news reports that Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi had been defeated.

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                            October 13, 2011Voters Still Expect Little Improvement In Afghanistan
Voters continue to give a mixed response about the future of the war in Iraq, but remain more negative about the U.S. conflict in Afghanistan.

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                            October 12, 2011Occupy Wall Street Protesters: 36% Favorable 41% Unfavorable
Most Americans still aren’t following news of the Occupy Wall Street protests very closely and have mixed opinions of both the protesters and their authenticity.
Thirty-six percent (36%) of the nation’s Likely Voters have a favorable opinion of the Occupy Wall Street protesters while 41% offer an unfavorable opinion. Last week, a survey of Adults found a slight plurality offering a favorable opinion.  Because  the new survey was of Likely Voters and the prior one was of adults, the results are not precisely comparable. Additional tracking will measure whatever trends might emerge.

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                            October 11, 201170% Favor Individual Choice Over Government Standards for Health Insurance
An independent panel advising the Obama administration released its recommendations last week on how the government should determine what level of coverage most health insurance policies should be required to have. But voters strongly oppose a government-mandated level of health insurance coverage.

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                            October 10, 2011Scott Rasmussen Interviews Herman Cain
An exclusive interview with GOP hopeful, Herman Cain.

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                            October 9, 201151% Say Democratic Agenda In Congress Is Extreme, 47% Say Same of GOP's
Voters still tend to see the congressional agendas of both major political parties as out of the mainstream and view President Obama and the average member of Congress as out of step with them ideologically.

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                            October 9, 2011Most Still Blame Bad Economy on Bush-era Recession
A majority (51%) of voters still blames the nation’s current economic problems on the recession that began under President George W. Bush rather than the economic policies of President Obama.

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                            October 8, 201172% Think Presidential Campaigns Run Too Long
As the nation braces itself for another race for the White House, voters say enough is enough.
October 8, 2011What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending October 8, 2011
Americans need something to believe in because right now their faith in the nation’s future is scraping rock bottom.

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                            October 7, 2011Just 6% Think Most Politicians Keep Their Campaign Promises
Voters remain overwhelmingly convinced that most politicians won’t keep their campaign promises, but they’re a little less convinced that their elected officials deliberately lie.

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                            October 7, 2011Just 10% Know Government Can Spend Social Security Money Anyway It Wants
Working-age Americans remain skeptical about receiving their Social Security benefits even though they mistakenly believe money in the Social Security Trust Fund can be used only to pay promised benefits.

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                            October 6, 2011Only 36% Think GOP Debate Moderators Ask Mostly About Important Issues
Voters are fairly satisfied with the number of debates in the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, but most don’t think debate moderators ask enough about the major issues facing the nation.
October 4, 201161% Say Global Warming Serious Problem
Most voters continue to believe global warming is a serious problem, but they still have mixed views on what the primary cause of climate change is. 
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 61% of Likely Voters say global warming is at least a somewhat serious problem.  Thirty-five percent (35%) don’t believe climate change is a serious problem.  Those figures include 28% who say it’s a Very Serious problem and 13% who believe it’s Not At All Serious.  (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 national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 28-29, 2011 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.
October 4, 201167% Say Obama Opponents Not Driven by Racism, But Blacks, Whites Disagree
Voters overwhelmingly reject the idea that opponents of President Obama’s policies are motivated primarily by racism, but there’s a strong difference of opinion between blacks and whites.
October 3, 2011Obama’s Full-Month Approval Rating Remains at All-Time Low in September
When tracking President Obama’s job approval on a daily basis, people sometimes get so caught up in the day-to-day fluctuations that they miss the bigger picture. To look at the longer-term trends, Rasmussen Reports compiles the numbers on a full-month basis, and the results can be seen in the graphics below.
In September, the number who Strongly Approved of the president’s job performance was at 21%.

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                            October 3, 201162% Now See China As Threat to America
Americans believe more strongly than ever that China is a long-term threat to the United States, and they overwhelmingly feel that threat is economic rather than military.
October 3, 201151% Favor Repeal of Health Care Law, 57% Say Law Will Drive Up Costs
Most voters still favor repeal of the national health care law, but support for repeal is at its lowest level since May. Most also continue to expect the law to drive up health care costs and the federal deficit.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows that 51% at least somewhat favor repeal of the health care law, including 41% who Strongly Favor it. Thirty-nine percent (39%) at least somewhat oppose repeal, with 28% who are Strongly Opposed. (To see survey question wording.
October 1, 2011Virginia: Obama Leads Perry by 10, Runs Even with Romney
In 2008, Barack Obama became the first Democrat to win Virginia’s Electoral College votes since the Beatles were a brand new act in America in 1964. However, an early look at the 2012 race in the Old Dominion suggests winning twice in a row is not a sure thing for the president.
The first Rasmussen Reports Election 2012 survey in Virginia shows that 46% of the state’s Likely Voters would cast a ballot for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, while 45% would opt for President Obama. Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate, while five percent (5%) are undecided.
October 1, 2011What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending October 1, 2011
Despite the media chatter to the contrary, the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination has changed little in surveys over the past week, but a wild card may be lurking in New Jersey.  
One’s in the race and at week’s end one was reportedly contemplating a run, but for now former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are both essentially even with President Obama in hypothetical Election 2012 matchups.
September 30, 2011Obama 44%, Christie 43%
Few expect him to run, but New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is essentially even with President Barack Obama in an early look at a hypothetical Election 2012 matchup. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows that Obama earns 44% support in the matchup, while Christie attracts 43%. Six percent (6%) prefer a third option, and eight percent (8%) are undecided.