Public Content

Most Recent Releases

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/business/jobs_employment/december_2014/americans_remain_confident_they_re_getting_a_pay_raise/1078115-1-eng-US/americans_remain_confident_they_re_getting_a_pay_raise.jpg" />
                
                            December 5, 2014Americans Remain Confident They're Getting A Pay Raise
One-out-of-two working Americans expect a pay raise in the coming year, but those who classify themselves as the working poor are much less optimistic.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 11% of Employed Americans consider themselves poor. The vast majority (86%), however, view themselves as middle class, with 21% who describe themselves as upper middle class. Just one percent (1%) say they are wealthy. These findings are generally consistent with regular surveying since early 2009 just after the Wall Street meltdown. (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 623 Employed Adults was conducted on December 2-3, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/business/jobs_employment/december_2014/that_next_job_doesn_t_look_quite_as_good/1078021-1-eng-US/that_next_job_doesn_t_look_quite_as_good.jpg" />
                
                            December 4, 2014That Next Job Doesn't Look Quite As Good
Fewer working Americans think the grass will be greener at their next job.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 38% of Employed Americans still believe their next job will be better than their current one  but that's down from a recent high of 44% in late July and the lowest level of confidence in a year. Just 11% think their next job won’t be better, while 22% plan to retire after their current job. Twenty-nine percent (29%) don’t know what to expect when they move on. (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 623 Employed Adults was conducted on December 2-3, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/politics/general_politics/december_2014/blacks_whites_agree_obama_hasn_t_improved_race_relations/1077959-1-eng-US/blacks_whites_agree_obama_hasn_t_improved_race_relations.jpg" />
                
                            December 4, 2014Blacks, Whites Agree Obama Hasn’t Improved Race Relations
Despite high hopes to the contrary, voters continue to believe the racial picture in this country has gotten worse since the election of the first black president.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only eight percent (8%) of Likely U.S. Voters think race relations are better since President Obama’s election six years ago. Forty-two percent (42%) believe race relations are worse now, while slightly more (48%) say they have stayed about the same. (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 Likely Voters was conducted on December 1-2, 2014 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.
December 4, 2014Are Americans Turning Post-Materialistic? By Froma Harrop
In 1916, Wanamaker's department store in Philadelphia sponsored a children's parade with heralds, a brass band, Jack the Giant Killer, clowns, girls as snowflakes, boys as silver stars and Santa Claus transported by four Eskimos to his throne in the Royal Red Theater -- every morning it was open during the Christmas season. You don't get that on Facebook. 

                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/archive/obama_rotations/36_give_obama_positive_marks_for_his_immigration_efforts/893754-65-eng-US/36_give_obama_positive_marks_for_his_immigration_efforts.jpg" />
                
                            December 4, 201436% Give Obama Positive Marks for His Immigration Efforts
Half of U.S. voters oppose President Obama’s new plan to protect up to five million illegal immigrants from deportation, and nearly the same number give him poor marks for his handling of immigration issues. But positive ratings for the president on immigration are the highest they’ve been since January.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 36% now give the president good or excellent ratings for his handling of issues related to immigration. That’s up from 31% last month and ties the highest positive rating of the year reached in late January Forty-eight percent (48%) still say the president is doing a poor job in this area, in line with findings over the past several months. (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 Likely Voters was conducted on November 30, 2014 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.
December 4, 2014House 2016: Republicans Start With a Commanding Edge By Kyle Kondik
There is great symbolic importance to the lone U.S. House race where votes are being recounted. If Martha McSally (R) holds her narrow lead against Rep. Ron Barber (D, AZ-2), Republicans will have netted 13 House seats, giving them 247 in the 114th Congress and narrowly topping the 246 seats the Republicans held after the 1946 election, giving the GOP its biggest House caucus since 1928. If Barber somehow survives, the Republicans will only tie that mark with a net gain of 12.
The GOP gain proved to be a bit smaller than seemed likely on Nov. 4: ABC News, for instance, projected a 14-to-18 seat Republican net on Election Night. But Democrats won nearly all the races that were called in the days following the election. Still, the Republicans did slightly better than most prognosticators expected (we pegged them for a gain of nine before the election).

                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/politics/current_events/gun_control/most_voters_oppose_only_government_having_guns/1077870-1-eng-US/most_voters_oppose_only_government_having_guns.jpg" />
                
                            December 4, 2014Most Voters Oppose Only Government Having Guns
Opponents continue to outnumber supporters of more gun control, perhaps in part because voters strongly believe it would be bad for the country if only police and other government officials were allowed to have guns.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters now think the United States needs stricter gun control laws, up four points from a recent low of 40% in March but still below support measured in the months following the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut. Forty-nine percent (49%) oppose stricter gun laws, although that's down from 53% earlier this year. (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 Likely Voters was conducted on December 1-2, 2014 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.

                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/lifestyle/holidays/november_2014/more_holiday_shoppers_doing_business_online/1077618-2-eng-US/more_holiday_shoppers_doing_business_online.jpg" />
                
                            December 3, 2014More Holiday Shoppers Doing Business Online
Is Cyber Monday eclipsing Black Friday?
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 78% of American Adults plan to do at least some of their holiday gift shopping online this year. That’s up from 71% a year ago and 60% in 2012. The latest finding includes 45% who say they will do at least half of their shopping on the Internet, with 24% who will do most or all of it online. One-in-five adults (20%) still don’t plan on buying any gifts online. (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 Adults nationwide was conducted on November 30 – December 1, 2014 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.

                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/archive/mood_of_america_archive/right_direction_or_wrong_track/december_2014/25_say_u_s_heading_in_right_direction/63618-384-eng-US/25_say_u_s_heading_in_right_direction.jpg" />
                
                            December 3, 201425% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction
Just 25% of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending November 30. 
This finding is down one point from the previous week. The number of voters who think the country is on the right course has now ranged from 23% to 27% nearly every week since early June and has been below 30% most weeks since June of last year.
(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 telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from November 24-25 and November 30, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/politics/issues/half_of_voters_don_t_think_most_blacks_victimized_by_cops/1077673-1-eng-US/half_of_voters_don_t_think_most_blacks_victimized_by_cops.jpg" />
                
                            December 3, 2014Half of Voters Don’t Think Most Blacks Victimized by Cops
Voters aren’t convinced that black Americans are treated unfairly by the police and give President Obama lukewarm reviews for his response to the events in Ferguson, Missouri.
Forty-nine percent (49%) of Likely U.S. Voters think most black Americans do not receive unfair treatment from the police, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Thirty-eight percent (38%) disagree and believe most blacks are treated unfairly by police. Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure. (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 Likely Voters was conducted on December 1-2, 2014 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. 
December 3, 2014Place Your Bets by John Stossel
Want to bet on tomorrow's NFL game between Chicago and Dallas? I do.
Newspapers and websites all over America tell their readers that Dallas is favored by three points. That's the "spread" posted by bookies. Millions will be bet on that game, and billions will be bet on other games this weekend -- college football, NBA games, NHL matches, UFC events ...

                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/lifestyle/holidays/november_2014/taking_a_closer_look_at_black_friday_s_sales/1077507-1-eng-US/taking_a_closer_look_at_black_friday_s_sales.jpg" />
                
                            December 2, 2014Taking A Closer Look at Black Friday's Sales
Although one-in-three expected to take advantage of Black Friday sales deals last week, slightly fewer actually ended up braving the holiday shopping crowds. A lot also say they ended up buying things mostly for themselves instead of holiday gifts.
Twenty-two percent (22%) of American Adults say they went shopping on Black Friday, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. (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 Adults nationwide was conducted on November 30-December 1, 2014 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.

                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/archive/economic_indexes/rasmussen_employment_index/rasmussen_employment_index_hits_six_year_high/99886-115-eng-US/rasmussen_employment_index_hits_six_year_high.jpg" />
                
                            December 2, 2014Rasmussen Employment Index Hits Six-Year High
The Rasmussen Employment Index which measures worker confidence reached a six-year high in November.
At 102.4, worker confidence is up three points from 99.4 in October and up one point from the previous high of 101.2 in August. The index fell to a recent low of 81.2 in October 2013 but gained steadily after that. After the Wall Street meltdown in the fall of 2008, the index fell dramatically, hitting an all-time low of 57.8 in July 2009.
(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 9,567 working Americans was conducted in November 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 1 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/lifestyle/holidays/november_2014/holiday_shopping_kicks_in_to_overdrive/1077478-1-eng-US/holiday_shopping_kicks_in_to_overdrive.jpg" />
                
                            December 2, 2014Holiday Shopping Kicks In To Overdrive
Off we go! The number of Americans who have started their holiday shopping has jumped dramatically following the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales weekend.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 54% of American Adults have now started to shop for the holidays. That’s up 20 points from 34% two weeks ago and up six points from the 48% who had begun holiday shopping by this time last year. Forty-four percent (44%) still haven’t begun shopping yet. (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 Adults nationwide was conducted on November 30-December 1, 2014 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.
December 2, 2014Democratic Takeover of Senate in 2016 Possible but Not a Slam Dunk by Michael Barone
Even as Republicans are about to regain a majority in the Senate after eight years in the minority, the conventional wisdom around Washington is that Democrats are likely to win back that majority again in 2016. That's certainly possible, but it's short of a slam dunk.
December 2, 2014Obamacare and the Middle Class By Froma Harrop
Few truly appreciate the enormous economic benefits the Affordable Care Act will deliver to the American people over time, the middle class included. But you'd expect New York's seasoned Democratic senator, Charles Schumer, to "get it" rather than belittle the 2010 federal health care law as a political inconvenience for his party.
Amazingly, Schumer recently complained that reforms affected only "a small percentage of the electorate." Has he any idea what's going on -- I mean beyond the calculations of the most recent election, the planning for the next?

                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/politics/current_events/immigration/november_2014/how_many_are_willing_to_renounce_their_u_s_citizenship/1077394-1-eng-US/how_many_are_willing_to_renounce_their_u_s_citizenship.jpg" />
                
                            December 2, 2014How Many Are Willing to Renounce Their U.S. Citizenship?
Few Americans have ever thought about giving up their U.S. citizenship, but a plurality still thinks U.S. citizens should be able to be citizens of more than one country.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only nine percent (9%) of U.S. citizens have considered renouncing their American citizenship, little changed from a year ago. (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 November 21-22, 2014 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.

                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/archive/mood_of_america_archive/generic_congressional_ballot/november_2014/generic_congressional_ballot_republicans_41_democrats_40/46515-340-eng-US/generic_congressional_ballot_republicans_41_democrats_40.jpg" />
                
                            December 1, 2014Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 41%, Democrats 40%
Republicans are still out front on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending November 30 finds that 41% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Republican in their district's congressional race if the election were held today, while 40% would choose the Democrat.
(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 telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from November 24-25 and November 30, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/archive/obama_approval_index_month_by_month_archive/obama_full_month_approval_steady_for_third_month_in_a_row/244466-64-eng-US/obama_full_month_approval_steady_for_third_month_in_a_row.jpg" />
                
                            December 1, 2014Obama Full-Month Approval Steady for Third Month in a Row
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.  
While his party took a shellacking at the polls in early November, the president’s monthly job approval held steady at 47% for the third month in a row, showing no change from September and October. It's up two points from his two-year low of 45% reached in November 2013 during the troubled rollout period for the new national health care law. Obama’s approval rating hit a year-to-date high of 49% in February and May.
(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.
Daily tracking results are collected via telephone surveys of 500 likely voters per night. The monthly numbers in this article are based on approximately 15,000 interviews each month with likely voters. The margin of sampling error is less than +/- 1 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/politics/obama_administration/november_2014/how_should_congress_react_to_obama_s_immigration_plan/1077213-1-eng-US/how_should_congress_react_to_obama_s_immigration_plan.jpg" />
                
                            December 1, 2014How Should Congress React to Obama's Immigration Plan?
As members of Congress return to work, nearly half of voters still want them to stop President Obama’s new plan to protect up to five million illegal immigrants from deportation.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters think Congress should try to find ways to stop the president’s plan of allowing these illegal immigrants to stay in this country legally and apply for jobs. Forty-three percent (43%) believe Congress should allow this decision to stand. (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 Likely Voters was conducted on November 30, 2014 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.