Our nation's 237th birthday is being celebrated in many ways that have become familiar over the years. Fifteen percent of Americans will watch a parade; 29 percent will sing patriotic songs; 63 percent will enjoy a cookout with family and friends; 78 percent are likely to see fireworks.
The Fourth of July is always an occasion to think about what the United States of America has been, is and will be. A good way to reflect on that is to pick up a copy of "America 3.0" by James Bennett and Michael Lotus and ponder its lessons.
Like many men who volunteered for the U.S. Army in World War II, my late father never boasted about his years in uniform. A patriot to his core, he nevertheless despised what he called the "jelly-bellied flag flappers." But in the decade or so before he passed away, he began to sport a small, eagle-shaped pin on his lapel, known as a "ruptured duck." Displaying the mark of his military service said that this lifelong liberal loved his country as much as any conservative -- and had proved it.
Americans continue to see the Fourth of July as one of the nation’s most important holidays.
Sixty-one percent (61%) of adults now regard Independence Day that way, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Only four percent (4%) look at the Fourth of July as one of the least important holidays, while 33% say it’s somewhere in between. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Most Americans are aware that the Fourth of July celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but far fewer recognize one of the key tenets of that foundational document.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 82% of American Adults know that the Fourth of July celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but eight percent (8%) think it commemorates the ratification of the U.S. Constitution instead. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
That’s an improvement from last year when only 74% recognized what Independence Day celebrates.
For the second 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 national telephone survey taken the week ending Sunday, June 30.
That’s also unchanged from a year ago and is consistent with voter attitudes for more than four months now. Confidence in the country's direction jumped into the low 40s last November and remained in the mid- to high 30s through February.
The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on June 24-30, 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.
George Washington is back on top as the greatest Founding Father. But Americans are now almost evenly divided on one of the key principles in the Pledge of Allegiance.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 37% of American Adults consider the first president of the United States the greatest Founding Father. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say Thomas Jefferson is the greatest, while 14% say the same of Benjamin Franklin. Only five percent (5%) think that title belongs to John Adams, and three percent (3%) say James Madison. Fourteen percent (14%) 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 American Adults nationwide was conducted on June 23-24, 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.
Americans consider blacks more likely to be racist than whites and Hispanics in this country.
Thirty-seven percent (37%) of American Adults think most black Americans are racist, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just 15% consider most white Americans racist, while 18% say the same of most Hispanic Americans. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on July 1-2, 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.
More Americans than ever (63%) think a government that is too powerful is a bigger danger in the world today than one that is not powerful enough. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 21% disagree and think a government that is not powerful enough is a bigger danger. Seventeen percent (17%) 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 June 19-20, 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.
Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency whistleblower, is either a hero or a traitor. We’ve heard him described both ways in no uncertain terms. So which is it? I’ve been withholding judgment, I thought, based on needing more facts. Yet no matter how many facts come out about the case, I remain ambivalent. In the Snowden situation, I believe we have encountered a paradox.
Many libertarians, outraged by how our government spies on us, call me a "traitor" because I'm not very angry. I understand that the National Security Administration tracking patterns in our emails and phone calls could put us on a terrible, privacy-crushing slippery slope.
The bad news is that two-out-of-three Americans still know someone who is out of work and looking for a job. The good news is that the percentage of these Americans is at its lowest level in several years.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 66% of American Adults know someone who is out of work and looking for a job. That's down three points from 69% last month. Two years ago, 75% knew someone in this situation. (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 June 29-30, 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.
Most voters still don't think very positively about the nation's public schools and continue to believe political correctness trumps accuracy in America's textbooks.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 26% of Likely U.S. Voters rate the performance of public schools in America today as good or excellent. Thirty-four percent (34%) rate public education as poor. (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 June 26-27, 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.
Most Americans continue to believe the U.S. Constitution should be left as is and remain the nation’s fundamental law.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% of American Adults think the Constitution should be left alone. Thirty-three percent (33%) believe minor changes are needed in the nation's foundational document. Just four percent (4%) feel major changes are necessary. Two percent (2%) think the United States should scrap the Constitution completely and start over. (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 June 19-20, 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.
The Rasmussen Employment Index which measures worker confidence slipped just over a point in June after reaching a near six-year high the previous month.
Among the many reasons that Americans hold the House of Representatives in low repute -- at historically abysmal levels, in fact -- is the blatantly partisan and ideological misconduct of so many committee chairs. Without any evident embarrassment these mighty politicians deny science, defy mathematics and dismiss every fact that contradicts their prejudices. But bad as these chairs tend to be, none is quite as flamboyantly awful as Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the Government Oversight Committee, a special investigative panel whose latest effort to conjure scandal from nothingness at the Internal Revenue Service would provoke his removal by a responsible leadership.
Of the four major controversies now swirling around the Obama administration, the National Security Agency’s secret surveillance of the phone and e-mail traffic of millions of Americans is the one voters least consider a serious scandal. But as controversies go, they rate it slightly ahead of the others as a problem for the administration.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 51% of Likely U.S. Voters consider both the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservative organizations and the White House’s explanation of what happened when the U.S. ambassador was killed in Benghazi, Libya last year as serious scandals. That’s unchanged from six weeks ago.
Twenty-five percent (25%) view the IRS matter as an embarrassing situation but not a scandal, while 19% say it’s not big deal. Similarly, 23% consider the Benghazi affair to be an embarrassing situation but not a scandal. Seventeen percent (17%) see it as no big deal. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 30-July 1, 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.
A trip to London provides an occasion to compare and contrast British politics and attitudes with those in America.
The Environmental Protection Agency sent a revised greenhouse gas emissions rule straight to the White House yesterday, but most voters now think regulations like this should travel through Capitol Hill first.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 51% of Likely U.S. Voters believe EPA regulations should require congressional approval before they can be implemented. That's up eight points from 43% in late December. Only 28% disagree, while nearly as many (21%) 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 June 26-27, 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.
Republicans have gained the edge over Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending June 30, 2013.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 39% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Republican in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while 38% would choose the Democrat instead. The week before, Democrats led by one. This is the second time in the past three weeks that both were below 40%, something that hasn't happened since June 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 national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from June 24-30, 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.
