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                            September 20, 2013Voters Question Fed’s Independence
With a change of leadership pending, voters remain skeptical of the Federal Reserve’s independence and continue to think the nation’s central bank is overly influenced by the president and big bankers.
Forty-two percent (42%) of Likely U.S. Voters now have at least a somewhat favorable opinion of the Federal Reserve, while 48% view it unfavorably, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. This includes 11% with a Very Favorable opinion and 19% with a Very Unfavorable one. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 18-19, 2013 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.
September 20, 2013Democrats no Longer Following Obama's Agenda By Michael Barone
Presidents tend to set the agenda for their parties. Most of the party's members of Congress tend to go along.   

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                            September 20, 201354% Think Media Cover Mass Shootings Too Much
Most Americans think the media overdo it when it comes to coverage of shooting incidents like the one Monday at the Washington Navy Yard.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 54% of American Adults believe the media offer too much coverage of mass shootings like the one in Washington, DC. Just five percent (5%) think the media do not cover these incidents enough. Thirty-six percent (36%) rate the level of coverage about right. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The national survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on September 17-18, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error 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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                            September 19, 201358% Expect Higher Interest Rates Next Year
Most Americans continue to expect higher interest rates in a year’s time, while the number already paying higher rates remains at a high.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 58% of American Adults think interest rates will be higher in a year. That’s up two points from August and the highest level of pessimism since early 2011. From July 2009 to early May 2011, this finding generally remained in the mid-to-high 50s but stayed in the 40s over the past couple years. 
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The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on September 15-16, 2013 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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                            September 19, 201362% Don't Trust Government to Fairly Enforce Gun Control Laws
Americans strongly believe it is not possible to entirely prevent mass shootings like the one in Washington, DC on Monday but think help for the mentally ill will do much more than gun control to reduce the number of incidents of this kind. Perhaps in part that's because most do not trust the government to fairly enforce gun control laws.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 16% of American Adults think it is possible to completely prevent mass shootings like the one in Washington. Seventy-one percent (71%) say it is not possible to fully stop shootings like this. Thirteen percent (13%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The national survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on September 17-18, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error 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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                            September 19, 201333% Think Stricter Gun Laws Might Have Prevented Navy Yard Shooting
Despite the horrific mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday, support for more gun control has fallen to its lowest level in over a year. Most Americans don't think tougher gun control would have prevented this week's killings anyway. 
Just 33% of American Adults believe it’s at least somewhat likely that stricter gun control laws would have prevented the mass shooting in Washington, DC, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. That includes 15% who say it is Very Likely stricter laws would have prevented the tragedy. Fifty-nine percent (59%) think it’s unlikely tougher gun laws would have prevented the shooting, including 26% who say it’s Not At All Likely. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on September 17-18, 2013 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.
September 19, 2013Violence in Our Air By Froma Harrop
To the rising pile of shooting rampages, Americans can now add the rapid-fire murder of 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard. It is a sign of our remarkable times that this horrid deed seems to pale next to the massacre of 20 schoolchildren in suburban Connecticut last December.
September 19, 2013Make Trade, Not War By John Stossel
What's up with so many Democrats wanting missile strikes on Syria, while Republicans balk? I'm told Republicans are the war party.  

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                            September 19, 201341% Favor Raising Eligibility Age To Keep Medicare Solvent
Voters still aren't very confident that they will get all their Medicare benefits, and a plurality favors raising the eligibility age to keep the program running for future generations.
Just 39% of Likely U.S. Voters are at least somewhat confident that the Medicare system will pay them all promised benefits during their lifetime, including 12% who are Very Confident. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 58% are not confident the government health insurance program for the elderly will pay them all their promised benefits, with 26% who are Not At All Confident. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 16-17, 2013 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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                            September 18, 201330% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction
For the third week in a row, 30% of Likely U.S. Voters say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey for the week ending September 15.
Confidence in the country's direction rose steadily last fall, peaking at a high of 43% the week before Election Day. It fell steadily after that to a low for the year to date of 26% in mid- to late July.
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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on September 2-8, 2013. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 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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                            September 18, 2013New High: 39% Say Now Is A Good Time To Sell A House
While only half of Americans continue to think purchasing a home is a family’s best investment, more than ever believe now is a good time to sell. 
Fifty percent (50%) of American Adults say buying a home is the best investment most families can make, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.  Twenty-nine percent (29%) disagree, while 22% are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.) 
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The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on September 13-14, 2013 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. 
September 18, 20132016? Christie (R) 39%, Biden (D) 35%
Many suspect that Vice President Joe Biden went to Iowa this week to test the presidential waters. It's a long way off, but Biden's the winner matched against most of the current leading Republican contenders for 2016 - except New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. In a face-off with fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, however, the vice president gets blown away.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 77% of Likely Democratic Voters chose Clinton, while 11% prefer Biden. Six percent (6%) like some other candidate, and another six percent (6%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 16-17, 2013 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. 
September 18, 2013Saved From Larry Summers at Fed By Froma Harrop
The week opened nicely with news that Lawrence Summers had taken his name out of the running for the Federal Reserve chairman job. We won't be subjected to the notoriously unpleasant Summers denigrating those who would distinguish between Wall Street's interests and the country's. Still more gratifying is that Democrats, and not just the liberal ones, put the kibosh on President Obama's mystifying desire to put this Wall Street-Washington hybrid in charge of our central banking system. 

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                            September 18, 201336% Are Confident Fed Can Keep Inflation, Interest Rates Down
As the conversation heats up over who will be the next chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, confidence in the system’s ability to keep inflation under control remains low. 
Just 36% of American Adults are at least somewhat confident that the Federal Reserve Board can keep interest rates down and inflation under control, including six percent (6%) who are Very Confident. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 58% lack that confidence, with 17% who are Not At All Confident. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on September 15-16, 2013 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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                            September 17, 201340% Have Favorable Opinion of Teachers Unions
Americans are closely divided on whether it’s good or bad that most public school teachers belong to labor unions and share mixed opinions on those unions in general. But most continue to believe it’s too hard to get rid of bad teachers.
Forty percent (40%) of American Adults have a favorable opinion of teachers unions, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Forty-five percent (45%) view teachers unions unfavorably. These findings include 13% with Very Favorable opinions of teachers unions and 24% with Very Unfavorable ones. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The national survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on September 11-12, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error 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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                            September 17, 201350% Lack Confidence in Stability of U.S. Banking Industry
Five years after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, half of Americans still lack confidence in the stability of the nation’s banking system. 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 46% of American Adults say they are at least somewhat confident in the stability of the U.S. banking industry, but that includes only seven percent (7%) who are Very Confident.  Fifty percent (50%) lack confidence in the banking industry today, with 14% who are Not At All Confident.  (To see survey question wording, click here.) 
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The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on September 15-16, 2013 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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                            September 17, 201351% Favor Government Shutdown Until Congress Cuts Health Care Funding
President Obama yesterday criticized congressional Republicans for insisting on spending cuts in any budget deal that continues government operations past October 1, saying they risk "economic chaos." Most voters agree a federal government shutdown would be bad for the economy, but they're willing to risk one until Democrats and Republicans in Congress agree on ways to cut the budget, including cuts in funding for the new national health care law.
Just 20% of Likely U.S. Voters believe a partial shutdown of the federal government would be good for economy, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Fifty-six percent (56%) say such a shutdown would be bad for the economy, even though payments for things like Social Security, Medicare and unemployment would continue. Sixteen percent (16%) think it would have no impact. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 14-15, 2013 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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                            September 17, 201314% Likely to Miss or Be Late With A Mortgage Payment in Next Six Months
Most homeowners continue to say they have not missed a mortgage payment in the last six months, but their outlook for the next six months is less optimistic. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just five percent (5%) of American Homeowners admit to missing a mortgage payment or paying late over the last six months. Eighty-nine percent (89%) have not missed or been late on a payment, though this is the first time that number has dipped below 90% since March 2011.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 661 Homeowners was conducted on September 13-14, 2013 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. 
September 17, 2013Republicans Need Future-Looking Policies, not old Bromides By Michael Barone
Republicans have been getting a lot of advice on how they should change their party ever since Mitt Romney's defeat in November 2012. They need it.
They are in more than the usual disarray that afflicts parties out of the White House. Many members of their majority in the House of Representatives are out of step with the Republican leadership on issues ranging from Syria to defunding Obamacare.

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                            September 16, 2013Generic Congressional Ballot: Democrats 38%, Republicans 38%
Democrats and Republicans are once again tied on the Generic Congressional Ballot, this time for the week ending September 15.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 38% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Democrat in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while another 38% would choose the Republican instead.  The week before, the two parties were tied at 39% apiece.  For much of the summer, neither has hit the 40% mark, suggesting a high level of voter unhappiness with both major political parties.
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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from September 9-15, 2013. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage point with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.