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                            April 13, 201371% View College Admissions for Good Athletes Over Better Students as Unfair
While it's commonplace for most colleges and universities to bend over backwards to recruit star athletes, Americans believe strongly that talented jocks shouldn't be admitted over more qualified students.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 17% of American Adults think it is fair for a school to accept a skilled athlete over a more qualified student. Seventy-one percent (71%) disagree and do not believe that athlete should get preferential admissions. Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge? Check the leader board.
(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 was conducted on April 6-7, 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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                            April 13, 2013What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending April 13, 2013
The ongoing debates in Washington, D.C. over gun control and illegal immigration highlight an uncomfortable reality for the Political Class: A lot of Americans just don’t trust their government.

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                            April 12, 20135% Think It’s Better for America If All Presidents Are Ivy League Grads
Only three percent (3%) of Americans think graduates of Ivy League schools like Harvard and Yale make better workers than those who went to other colleges and universities. Still, every U.S. president for the last 25 years is an Ivy League graduate.
But only five percent (5%) of American Adults think it is better for America to have presidents only from Ivy League schools. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 85% believe it’s better for the country to have presidents who come from a variety of schools. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge? Check the leader board.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on April 6-7, 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.For those students, Americans think contacts and the name of their school are as valuable as what they learn.

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                            April 12, 201325% Know Someone Who Has Been Murdered
There is a huge racial divide when it comes to personal experience with crime and the justice system.
Twenty-five percent (25%) of all American Adults know someone who has been murdered. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 13% know someone who is currently in prison.
Seventy percent (70%) do not know a murder victim, and 84% do not know someone currently in jail. (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 April 4-5, 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.
April 12, 2013Sanctions on Employers, Sanctuary Cities Seen As Most Effective Ways to Stop Illegal Immigration
Most Americans continue to believe it is important to secure the border to prevent future illegal immigration, but there’s little talk about how exactly the government should go about doing that. Rasmussen Reports tested some of the tools that have been mentioned to see how effective Americans think they would be.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds 78% of American Adults think it is at least somewhat important to secure the border to prevent future illegal immigration, including 57% who view it as Very Important. Seventeen percent (17%) see border security as not very or Not At All Important. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge? Check the leader board.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on April 10-11, 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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                            April 12, 2013Gun Debate Highlights Voter Distrust of Government By Scott Rasmussen
Gun control advocates sound puzzled by congressional resistance to relatively modest gun control legislation.
April 12, 2013An Immigration Fix for Real By Froma Harrop
Not only is a Senate plan for reforming the immigration program smart, it may actually become law. Those two things don't necessarily go together. That it is bipartisan would seem a near miracle.
The "Group of Eight" reformers -- led by Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York -- would demand concessions from both open-border and closed-border hardliners. Most importantly, they are the right concessions.

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                            April 11, 201323% Believe It Is Too Hard to Get An Abortion in America
North Dakota recently enacted the most restrictive anti-abortion law in the nation, and several other states are considering similar legislation. While the number of pro-choice voters remains near an all-time high, more voters than ever already think it is too hard to get an abortion in this country, but even more still think it's too easy to get one.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 53% of Likely U.S. Voters consider themselves pro-choice when it comes to the issue of abortion, just below the record high of 54% reached in November. Forty percent (40%) say they are pro-life, up from January’s low of 36%. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge? Check the leader board.
(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 April 9-10, 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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                            April 11, 201334% Say U.S. Has Crony Capitalist Economic System
Americans are almost evenly divided when asked if the United States has a free market economy or a crony capitalist one. This helps explain why they think more government involvement in the marketplace makes it less fair.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 36% of American Adults believe the United States has a system of free market capitalism. But nearly as many (34%) view it as a crony capitalist system. Twenty-nine percent (29%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge? Check the leader board.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on April 8-9, 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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                            April 11, 201363% Think No New Taxes Are Needed
Voters make it quite clear that there’s no need for the federal government to raise taxes. They’d prefer more tax cuts instead but are much more closely divided on that question.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 28% of Likely U.S. Voters think additional tax hikes are needed to fund the federal government. More than twice as many (63%) disagree and feel more taxes are not necessary. (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 April 9-10, 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.
April 11, 2013Her Tea Party: What Margaret Thatcher Really Meant to England and the World By Joe Conason
Amid all the suffocating claptrap celebrating Margaret Thatcher in the media, only the British themselves seem able to provide a refreshing hit of brisk reality. Over here, she is the paragon of principle known as the "Iron Lady," devoted to freedom, democracy and traditional values who bolstered the West against encroaching darkness. Over there, she is seen clearly as a class warrior, whose chief accomplishments involved busting unions and breaking the post-war social contract.   
April 11, 2013Thatcher Insisted on Facing Hard, Uncomfortable Truths By Michael Barone
"Divisive." That's a word that appeared, often prominently, in many news stories reporting the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
One senses the writers' disapproval. You're not likely to find "divisive" in stories reporting the deaths of liberal leaders, although every electoral politician divides voters.
"Divisive" here refers to something specific. It was Margaret Thatcher's special genius that she systematically rejected the conventional wisdom, almost always well-intentioned, of the political establishment.
Instead, she insisted on hard, uncomfortable truths.
British Conservatives like Harold Macmillan accepted the tyranny of trade unionism because they had guilty memories of the slaughter of the working-class men who served under them in the trenches in World War I.
Thatcher, who as an adolescent before World War II saved money to pay for a Jewish girl to escape from Austria to England, felt no such guilt.

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                            April 11, 2013Americans Think Making Contacts Just As Important As Education in Elite Schools
Education is the most important thing students get out of a state university or a community college as far as most Americans are concerned. But for those who attend elite colleges and universities, contacts and the name of their school are considered as valuable as what they learn.
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge? Check the leader board.
(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 was conducted on April 6-7, 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 byPulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            April 10, 201334% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction
Thirty-four percent (34%) 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, April 7.
Voter optimism in the nation’s current course is down a point from the previous week. However, it appears to have recovered from a downturn prompted by the political impasse in Washington, D.C. over the so-called sequester budget cuts. Belief that the country was heading in the right direction fell to 28% in late February-early March as political leaders were desperately looking for ways to avoid even modest reductions in the growth of federal spending. Now that the threat to undo the sequester has passed, confidence in the country's direction has returned to earlier levels.
(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 April 1-7, 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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                            April 10, 201329% Say U.S. Does Not Spend Enough on National Security
While most voters know the United States spends more on national security than any other nation, just one-in-three (33%) think the amount spent is too much.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that nearly as many Likely U.S. Voters (29%) believe the United States does not spend enough on its military and national security. Thirty-two percent (32%) think the level of spending is about right. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Win an iPad: Take the Rasmussen Challenge! Entries will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. EST.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 7-8, 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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                            April 10, 201340% Believe Law Enforcement Can Dramatically Reduce Gang Violence
Americans are fairly evenly divided as to whether law enforcement agencies can dramatically reduce gun violence among inner city gangs. Forty percent (40%) say it is possible; 33% disagree, and 27% are not sure, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
As for the members of these gangs, criminologist David Kennedy says in his book Don’t Shoot that, contrary to popular opinion, they don’t make a lot of money and don’t like the violent life style.
Play the Rasmussen Challenge. Entries will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. ET.
(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 April 4-5, 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.
April 10, 2013Government Plays Favorites By John Stossel
People say government must "help the little guy, promote equality, level the playing field." 

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                            April 10, 201368% View Margaret Thatcher Favorably
Americans have a strongly favorable view of Margaret Thatcher, the former British prime minister who died on Monday.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 68% of American Adults have at least a somewhat favorable opinion of Thatcher, including 36% who have a Very Favorable one. Just 15% view her somewhat or Very Unfavorably. But 17% are not sure what they think of the woman who served as Britain’s political leader from 1979 to 1990. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 
Play the Rasmussen Challenge  . Entries will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. ET.
(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 April 8-9, 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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                            April 10, 201314% Are Fiscal Liberals, 34% Liberal on Social Issues
Voters remain more conservative on money issues than on social policy.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters identify themselves as conservative on fiscal issues such as taxes, government spending and business regulation. Just 14% are liberal in this area, while 39% view themselves as moderates. (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 April 3-4, 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.
April 9, 201357% Think U.S. Should Continue Building a Fence Along Mexican Border
Most voters favor the use of U.S. military on the Mexican border to keep drug violence out, but they also still think the U.S. should continue building a fence along the border.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% of Likely U.S. Voters think the United States should continue building a border fence, while 29% disagree. Fourteen percent (14%) are not sure if the government should keep building a fence along the Mexican border. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 3-4, 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.