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                            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).

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                            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.

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                            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.

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                            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.

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                            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 ...

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                            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.

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                            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.

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                            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?

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                            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.

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                            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.

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                            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.

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                            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.

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                            December 1, 2014Obamacare – Back from the Brink of Repeal?
Most voters for the first time want Congress to fix the new national health care law rather than repeal it.
Given the problems with the new law, 30% of Likely U.S. Voters still think Congress should repeal it entirely and start over again. But a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% prefer instead that Congress go through the law piece by piece and improve it. Just 13% want to leave the law as is. (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.

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                            November 30, 201446% Think Justice System Fair to Blacks, 39% Disagree
A plurality of voters still believes the U.S. justice system is fair to black and Hispanic Americans following the grand jury decision in the Michael Brown shooting case in Ferguson, Missouri. But there also continues to be a wide difference of opinion between whites and other voters.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken the night the verdict was announced and the night after finds that 46% of Likely U.S. Voters feel the justice system is fair to these Americans. But 39% disagree and say the system is not fair to blacks and Hispanics, the highest finding on this question in regular surveying since June 2010. Fifteen percent (15%) are undecided. (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 telephone survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on November 24-25, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            November 29, 2014What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls -- Week Ending November 29, 2014
Did Thanksgiving come just in time? After outrage over the expected yet controversial grand jury decision in Ferguson and contention over the president’s executive action on immigration, perhaps Americans needed a day to step back and reflect.
On Monday, the St. Louis County Grand Jury decided not to indict Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson for the killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown back in August. Prior to the decision, most Americans didn’t expect Wilson to be charged with murder, and half said the U.S. Justice Department should not try to charge him for federal crimes related to the Brown shooting.

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                            November 28, 2014Few Think Founding Fathers Would Consider America A Success
If America’s founders came back today, would they be impressed or disappointed?
A new Rasmussen Reports shows that 36% of American Adults think the Founding Fathers would consider the United States a success. But a plurality (46%) believes the Founders - a group that generally includes George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, among others - would view the nation as a failure instead. Eighteen percent (18%) 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 national survey of 1,000 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.