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                            July 6, 201224% of Dieters Have Used Pills to Lose Weight
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new weight-loss pill for the first time in 13 years, and this could be useful news for a quarter of Americans who say they have used such pills in the past while dieting.  
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 24% of American Adults who have been on a diet to lose weight have used a weight-loss drug to help them do so. Seventy-five percent (75%) have not. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on June 28-29, 2012 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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                            July 6, 2012Most Say Feds Should Handle Banks; Look to States for Minimum Wage, Gambling
Americans want federal government rather than state governments to regulate banks and financial institutions, but think states should handle gambling and minimum wage. On other issues, adults are more evenly divided. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 67% of American Adults think it’s better for the federal government rather than state governments to deal with banks and other financial institutions. Twenty-seven percent (27%) prefer state governments more in this area. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on July 5, 2012 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.
July 6, 201231% Give Obama Positive Marks on Handling Economic Issues
The economy has been the most important issue to voters for years, but ratings for the president’s performance in that area are at their lowest level since last November.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows just 31% of Likely Voters believe President Obama is doing a good or excellent job handling economic issues, including 12% who say he is doing an excellent job. Forty-eight percent (48%) believe Obama is doing a poor job in this area. (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 nationwide was conducted on June 25-26, 2012 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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                            July 6, 2012To Fix Health Care System, Put Consumers in Charge By Scott Rasmussen
Democrats were riding high in the polls in 2006 and 2008, and one of their big issues was health care. Then, after passing the president's health care law, the politics shifted, and the issue helped sweep the GOP to victory in the 2010 midterm elections. A few months later, Republicans had a 14-point advantage in terms of voter trust on the health care issue.

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                            July 5, 201230% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction
Thirty percent (30%) of Likely U.S. Voters now say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken the week ending Sunday, July 1.
That's up three points from 27% the week before, the lowest findings since early April.
The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports June 25-July 1, 2012. 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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                            July 5, 201249% Likely To Watch Summer Olympics
Slightly fewer Americans plan to watch the Olympics this summer, but more than ever feel it’s important for the United States to come out on top. 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 49% of American Adults are at least somewhat likely to watch a large portion of the Summer Olympics coverage on television. Fifty percent (50%) say they are unlikely to tune in.  These figures include 25% who are Very Likely to watch the London-based event and 19% who are Not At All Likely to watch.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
This national survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on June 28-29, 2012 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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                            July 5, 201284% Are Proud To Be Americans
Most adults in this country are proud to call themselves Americans.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 84% of Adults feel that way. Just seven percent (7%) don't share that pride in being American, but another nine percent (9%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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                            July 5, 2012Economy, Health Care Top Voter Concerns
The economy remains most important to voters on a list of 10 key issues regularly surveyed by Rasmussen Reports, but interest in health care is back up following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding President Obama’s health care law.
New national telephone surveying finds that 74% of Likely U.S. Voters rate the economy as Very Important to how they will vote in the next election. Sixty-seven percent (67%) rate health care as a Very Important issue and 64% say the same about government ethics and corruption. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Surveys of 1,000 Likely Voters each were conducted on June 27-28 and July 1-2, 2012 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.
July 5, 2012Executive Women Are Not That Special, Either by Froma Harrop
Two cultural events have caught our attention this season. One is the stern graduation speech at Wellesley (Mass.) High School in which teacher David McCullough Jr. told pampered students, "Do not get the idea you're anything special." The other was an article in The Atlantic magazine by Anne-Marie Slaughter titled, "Why Women Still Can't Have It All."
July 5, 2012What If They Held an Election and Nobody Came? by Michael Barone
That's more or less what happened last Sunday in Mexico, at least as far as most American journalists (including me) are concerned.
July 5, 201247% Consider Obama’s Political Views Extreme, 31% Say Same of Romney
A bare majority of voters still considers Mitt Romney in the political mainstream, while the number who think President Obama’s views are extreme has edged up for the second month in a row.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 51% of Likely U.S. Voters describe the political views of the presumptive Republican presidential candidate as mainstream. Thirty-one percent (31%) consider his views extreme. 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.
This national survey of 1,000 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on June 29-30, 2012 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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                            July 4, 201264% Rate Fourth of July As One of America's Most Important Holidays
Americans continue to consider the Fourth of July one of the nation’s most important holidays, and they plan to celebrate with friends and family again this year.
As they have for in surveys for years, most American Adults (64%) rate Independence Day as one of the country’s most important holidays, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. It's second, in fact, only to Christmas. Just two percent (2%) say it is one of the least important holidays, while a third (33%) think it’s somewhere in between. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
This nationwide survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on July 2, 2012 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 continue to consider the Fourth of July one of the nation’s most important holidays, and they plan to celebrate with friends and family again this year.

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                            July 4, 201253% Say America Nation With Liberty, Justice For All
To display their loyalty to the United States, Americans recite the Pledge of Allegiance, ending with the key phrase “with liberty and justice for all.”  But just over half of Americans actually believe that to be true. That said, a lot more wouldn't live anywhere else in the world.
Fifty-three percent (53%) of American Adults agree that the United States is a nation with liberty and justice for all, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.  Forty percent (40%) disagree and say the United States is not like that.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 American Adults nationwide was conducted on July 2, 2012 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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                            July 3, 201274% Know July Fourth Celebrates Adoption of the Declaration of Independence
Most Americans correctly identify the Fourth of July as the day the nation ratified the Declaration of Independence, but they cannot accurately identify one of the founding document's key provisions. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 74% of American Adults say the Fourth of July celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Nine percent (9%) feel Independence Day celebrates the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, but another 17% are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The national survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on June 30-July 1, 2012 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.
July 3, 2012Employment Index Slips To Early 2012 Level
After reaching a four-year high in May, the Rasmussen Employment Index slipped six points in June to 82.7, sending more mixed signals about the jobs market.
The Employment Index is now just two points higher than the level measured at the start of 2012. Still, worker confidence is up five points from a year ago and nine points from the level measured two years ago. At the same time, however, 47% of employed Americans now say their personal finances are getting worse, compared to 30% who think they're getting better. Twenty-seven percent (27%) continue to be worried about losing their jobs.

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                            July 3, 2012Consumer Confidence Declines in June
Consumer confidence in the economy and personal finances, which are key economic indicators, worsened in June to the lowest levels since January 2012. The Discover U.S. Spending Monitor, a 5-year-old daily poll tracking economic confidence and spending intentions of nearly 8,200 consumers throughout the month, declined 4.8 points to 90.7 in June.

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                            July 3, 2012Views on Holder Unchanged: 40% Think Attorney General Should Resign
While much of the nation was reacting to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on President Obama’s health care law last week, the House of Representatives voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for withholding information wanted for an ongoing investigation. It was the first vote of its kind against a sitting Cabinet member but hasn’t changed any minds about Holder.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 1-2, 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.
July 3, 2012Obamacare Survives, but Political Playing Field Has Changed by Michael Barone
The Supreme Court's 5-4 decision upholding the Obama administration's health care legislation was a victory for the president, his administration and his party. Their most ambitious legislative achievement has not been nullified, and they are not left in obvious disarray.
July 3, 2012Obama’s Full-Month Index Rating Dips Slightly In June
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.
For the month of June, the president’s Total Job Approval Rating was at 47%. That finding is down two points from May and has remained in the narrow range of 47% to 49% since the beginning of 2012. By comparison, in January 2009, 62% of voters approved of Obama’s job performance.
July 2, 2012Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 41%, Democrats 40%
Republicans now only lead Democrats by one point on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending Sunday, July 1.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows 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 instead.
The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from June 25-July 1, 2012. 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.