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January 28, 2012What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending January 28, 2012
President Obama on Tuesday night delivered his final State of the Union speech before Election Day, and the public seems receptive to at least two of his major economic initiatives. At the same time, the race between the men who want his job has seesawed, with the latest numbers from Florida’s upcoming primary suggesting Newt Gingrich’s surge may have crested.
Fifty-five percent (55%) of Likely U.S. Voters agree with the president’s proposal that wealthy Americans pay at least 30% of their income in federal taxes. But 49% also think federal, state and local governments combined shouldn’t take more than 30% of anyone’s income in taxes. These findings suggest that while voters feel generally that the wealthy aren’t paying their fair share, they remain more interested in fairness than in being punitive.

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                            January 27, 2012Voters Still Trust GOP More on Economy
Voters continue to trust Republicans more than Democrats on the number one issue of the economy, but they now trust Democrats at least slightly more on five of the 10 most important issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports. The two parties are nearly tied on five of the 10, though. This is the first survey since May 2009 in which the GOP doesn't have an edge on a majority of the issues.
The latest national telephone survey finds that 47% of Likely U.S. Voters trust the GOP more when it comes to handling the economy, while 40% have more faith in President Obama's party. (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.
Two national surveys of 1,000 Likely Voters each were conducted on January 23-24 & 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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                            January 27, 2012Most Would Choose Foreign Over American If Product Is Better, Cheaper
Adults nationwide still place high importance on buying American-made products, but most would go with a foreign product if it’s cheaper and better than its American counterpart.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 90% of adults say it’s at least somewhat important to buy a product made in America, including 61% who say it’s Very Important. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on January 24-25, 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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                            January 27, 201255% Say Wealthy Americans Should Pay at Least 30% In Income Taxes
Most voters agree with President Obama’s proposal in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night that wealthy Americans pay at least 30% of their income in federal taxes. But 30% seems to be about as far as they want to go.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 55% of Likely U.S. Voters favor the president’s tax proposal for the wealthy. Thirty-two percent (32%) oppose a requirement that the wealthy pay at least 30% in federal taxes. Thirteen percent (13%) 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 survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on January 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.
January 27, 2012I Want My Planet Back By Froma Harrop
Florida is the state that put the first man on the moon, NBC's Brian Williams noted at the Republican presidential debate in Tampa. He asked the candidates, "At a time when you all want to shrink federal spending, should space exploration be a priority?"
Of course it should be, Mitt Romney said. The former Massachusetts governor accused President Obama of having no vision for NASA, "and as a result of that, there are people on the Space Coast that are suffering." He spoke of the need for "a collaborative effort" among business, the government and the military.

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                            January 27, 2012GOP Voters Grade Gingrich Ethics on a Curve By Scott Rasmussen
Newt Gingrich has surged to the lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination with the strong support of evangelical Christian voters. To some, given Gingrich's personal life, this support is puzzling. Whatever else people say about Mitt Romney, his personal life seems above reproach and a good role model for others.

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                            January 27, 201242% Are Fiscal Conservatives, 11% Liberal on Money Issues
President Obama laid out in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night a continuing path to economic recovery with government fully involved. The candidates seeking the Republican presidential nomination argue that it’s best to get the government out of the way. When it comes to money issues, voters continue to prefer the more conservative course.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 42% of Likely U.S. Voters say they are fiscal conservatives when it comes to issues such as taxes, government spending and business regulation. Just as many (42%) describe themselves as fiscal moderates. Only 11% are fiscal liberals. (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 January 19-20, 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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                            January 26, 201266% Believe Nutritional Information On Menus To Be Accurate
Increasing numbers of restaurants around the country are disclosing nutritional information on their menus, and most Americans think that information is fairly accurate.  
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 66% of American Adults are at least somewhat confident in the accuracy of nutritional information currently provided on menus by some restaurants.  But that figure includes just 16% who are Very Confident.  Twenty-nine percent (29%) are not confident the information is accurate, including six percent (6%) who are Not At All Confident.  (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 January 22-23, 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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                            January 26, 201255% Favor Government Subsidizing U.S. Manufacturing
In President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night, he proposed corporate tax credits and tax reductions to encourage an increase in U.S. manufacturing jobs, and a new survey shows a majority of Americans nationwide are on board with the idea.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 55% believe government funds should be used to subsidize manufacturers in the United States through tax credits and other incentives. Thirty-one percent (31%) disagree, while 15% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on January 24-25, 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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                            January 26, 201235% Say Congressman or Governor Can Be Bought for $10,000 or Less
Americans think it’s getting cheaper to buy a congressman or governor. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 42% of American Adults now believe it takes a contribution of at least $50,000 to influence a congressman or governor, but that’s down from 50% in March 2006. The new finding includes 19% who say a contribution of $100,000 or more is necessary, compared to 27% the first time we asked the question. (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 January 18-19, 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.
January 26, 2012Mitch Daniels: Bombast From the Past By Joe Conason
Why the Republicans chose Mitch Daniels -- the Indiana governor who once thrilled right-wing pundits as a 2012 hopeful -- to deliver a rebuttal to President Obama's State of the Union address is puzzling. His uninspiring remarks surely killed the Daniels fad, revived lately as Republicans fret over the unappetizing choices available in their primaries.
January 26, 2012Florida GOP Primary: Romney 39%, Gingrich 31%, Santorum 12%, Paul 9%
Mitt Romney has jumped back ahead in the fevered Florida Republican Primary race with his support back to where it was before Newt Gingrich’s big win Saturday in South Carolina.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Florida Republican Primary Voters, taken Wednesday night, shows Romney with 39% support to Gingrich’s 31%. Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum earns 12%, and Texas Congressman Ron Paul runs last with nine percent (9%). Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate, and seven percent (7%) 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.
This Florida survey of 750 Likely Republican Primary Voters was conducted on January 25, 2012 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.
January 26, 2012Florida GOP Primary: Romney 39%, Gingrich 31%, Santorum 12%, Paul 9%
Mitt Romney has jumped back ahead in the fevered Florida Republican Primary race with his support back to where it was before Newt Gingrich’s big win Saturday in South Carolina.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Florida Republican Primary Voters, taken Wednesday night, shows Romney with 39% support to Gingrich’s 31%. Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum earns 12%, and Texas Congressman Ron Paul runs last with nine percent (9%). Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate, and seven percent (7%) 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.
This Florida survey of 750 Likely Republican Primary Voters was conducted on January 25, 2012 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.
January 26, 2012Unlike Obama, GOP Candidates Talk Seriously About Governing By Michael Barone
You know politicians are serious when they move from campaigning to governing. Something like that may be happening on the Republican campaign trail -- but, unfortunately, not at the Obama White House.
January 25, 201226% Say U.S. Heading In Right Direction
Twenty-six percent (26%) 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, Jan. 22.  That’s the highest level of optimism measured in over seven months.
The latest finding is up two points from the previous week. From July 25 through Dec. 11, the number of voters who were confident in the nation's current course had resembled levels measured in the final months of the Bush administration, with voter confidence remaining in the narrow range of 14% to 19%. But that finding has been in the low 20s since mid-December.
The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports January 16-22, 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.

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                            January 25, 201275% Say It's Better for Children to Grow Up In Two-Parent Home
Adults nationwide overwhelmingly believe that it is important for children to grow up in a home with both parents and feel those children have an advantage over those who grow up in a single-parent home.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 95% say it is at least somewhat important for children to grow up in a home with both parents. This finding includes 73% who see this as Very Important. (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 was conducted on January 20-21, 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.
January 25, 2012New Low: 15% Say Situation In Iraq Will Get Better
As insurgent violence in Iraq grows following the withdrawal of U.S. troops, voters’ perceptions that the situation there will get better have fallen to an all-time low. There's similar pessimism about Afghanistan, but voters are still relatively confident that the United States and its allies are winning the war on terror. 
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 15% of Likely Voters say the situation in Iraq will get better in the next six months, down from 24% last month. Forty-three percent (43%) say the situation there will get worse, while 30% say it will stay about the same.  Another 12% are undecided.  (To see survey question wording,  click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on January 19-20, 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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                            January 25, 201233% of GOP Voters Say It Would Be Good If New Candidate Entered Presidential Race
While many pundits have taken to describing the race for the Republican nomination as a two-man competition, a third of all voters nationwide think it would be good for the GOP if someone else jumped into the fray.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 34% of Likely U.S. Voters think it would be good for Republicans if another candidate entered the race for the party’s presidential nomination. But nearly as many (31%) say it would be bad for the party, while 24% believe it would have no impact. Twelve percent (12%) 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 Likely Voters was conducted on January 23-24, 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.
January 25, 2012The Real State of the Union By John Stossel
Has Barack Obama learned nothing in three years? Last night, during his State of the Union address, he promised "a blueprint for an economy." But economies are crushed by blueprints. An economy is really nothing more than people participating in an unfathomably complex spontaneous network of exchanges aimed at improving their material circumstances. It can't even be diagrammed, much less planned. And any attempt at it will come to grief.

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                            January 25, 20122012 Presidential Election Matchups
Rasmussen Reports is now tracking the four named Republicans remaining in the race in regular matchups with the President Obama.  Rasmussen Reports will match up Obama with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the current leaders in the contest for the GOP presidential nomination, every day. These numbers will be reported on a three day rolling average.  We will test former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum and Texas Congressman Ron Paul against the president weekly.
The tables on this page will be updated each day by 9:30am and will contain the entire history of these matchups.  This page can only be viewed if you have a Rasmussen Reader membership.