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                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/business/general_business/april_2012/confidence_in_fed_to_control_inflation_falls_back_below_40/689069-1-eng-US/confidence_in_fed_to_control_inflation_falls_back_below_40.jpg" />
                
            
                            April 12, 2012Confidence in Fed to Control Inflation Falls Back Below 40%
After a brief bounce in confidence in March, a majority of Americans now lack faith in the Federal Reserve Board to keep inflation under control and interest rates down.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 39% of Adults now share this confidence, including 10% who are Very Confident in the Fed on these matters. Fifty-seven percent (57%) are not confident the Fed can keep inflation and interest rates under control, including 21% who are Not Confident At All. (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 April 7-8, 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.
April 12, 201249% Trust Romney Over Obama on Economy; 39% Trust President More
Voters now have more confidence in presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney than in President Obama when it comes to the economy, but on other major issues facing the nation, the two men continue to run nearly even.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey asks Likely U.S. Voters whom they trust more on five key issues, and when it comes to the economy, 49% say Romney versus 39% who trust the president more. Twelve percent (12%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
This national survey of 1,000 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on April 10-11, 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.
April 12, 2012Romney Trails Obama, but Key Numbers Break His Way By Michael Barone
Now that Rick Santorum has "suspended" his campaign, we can stop pretending and can say what has been clear for weeks: Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee for president. The general election campaign has begun.
In some quarters, it is assumed that Barack Obama will be re-elected without too much difficulty. There are reports that staffers at Obama's Chicago headquarters consider Romney's candidacy a joke.
One suspects the adults there take a different view. For the fundamentals say that this will be a seriously contested race, with many outcomes possible. Obama's job-approval numbers in the realclearpolitics.com average of recent polls hover at 48 percent positive, 47 percent negative. That's on the cusp between victory and defeat.
April 12, 2012What's in a Name? George W. Regrets Dubbing Those 'Bush Tax Cuts' By Joe Conason
When George W. Bush made his first public appearance in many months to discuss economic policy in New York on Tuesday, his utterances may have revealed more than he intended. "I wish they weren't called the 'Bush tax cuts,'" he said of the decade-old rate reductions that bear his name. But does he really believe, as he seemed to suggest, that Americans want to let those cuts expire from a desire to spite him? Or is there a deeper Bush somewhere within who would prefer not to be associated with fiscal profligacy and ideological overreach?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            April 12, 2012WOR Radio Network to Launch Daily Updates Hosted by Noted Pollster Scott Rasmussen
The WOR Radio Network announced today that it will begin syndicating three daily news updates hosted by noted pollster Scott Rasmussen on April 16, 2012.  Three original one-minute editions of “The Rasmussen Report” feature will be made available via FTP download to affiliates each weekday, and are designed to be run in multiple dayparts on affiliate stations.  The vignettes will also air on the network’s flagship, News Talk Radio 710 WOR in New York City, including during The John Gambling Show, the market’s number-one morning-drive program.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
                    <img src="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/var/plain/storage/images/_aliases/wide_266/public_content/politics/general_politics/april_2012/36_say_u_s_spends_too_much_on_military_and_national_security/688914-1-eng-US/36_say_u_s_spends_too_much_on_military_and_national_security.jpg" />
                
            
                            April 12, 201236% Say U.S. Spends Too Much on Military and National Security
As budget battles continue in Washington, D.C., voters increasingly think the United States is putting too much money into defense.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 36% of Likely U.S. Voters now feel the country spends too much on the military and national security. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say the country doesn’t spend enough in this area, and another 27% say the amount spent is about right. (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 6-7, 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.
April 11, 201229% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction
For the third week in a row, 29% of Likely U.S. Voters say the country is heading in the right direction. The latest finding is from a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken the week ending Sunday, April 8, and remains down five points from a recent high of 34% measured in early February.
When President Obama assumed office in January 2009, voter optimism rose to 27%, then climbed into the 30s, peaking at 40% in early May of that year. In 2010, confidence steadily decreased.
The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports April 2-8, 2012. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage point with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
April 11, 2012Massachusetts:  Obama 51%, Romney 40%
President Obama continues to hold a double-digit lead in Massachusetts over Mitt Romney, governor of the state from 2003 to 2007.
A new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters in Massachusetts finds Obama earning 51% support to Romney's 40%.  Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate, and six percent (6%) 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 Massachusetts survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted April 9, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
April 11, 2012North Carolina Governor: McCrory (R) 45%, Dalton (D) 36%
For Republican gubernatorial hopeful Pat McCrory, the second time’s the charm so far. The unsuccessful 2008 GOP candidate for governor in North Carolina leads all three of his major Democratic opponents in the first Rasmussen Reports survey of this year’s gubernatorial contest.
A new telephone survey of Likely Voters in North Carolina finds McCrory earning 45% support to Lieutenant Governor Walter Dalton’s 36%. Five percent (5%) like another candidate, and 14% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 500 Likely Voters in North Carolina was conducted on April 10, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 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, 201243% Have Gone Through A Week Without Paying Cash
Is America moving toward a cashless society?
Forty-three percent (43%) of American Adults have gone through a full week without paying for anything with cash or coins, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Only slightly more (47%) have not done so. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on April 9-10, 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.
April 11, 2012Can Government Do Anything Well? By John Stossel
I'm suspicious of superstitions, like astrology or the belief that "green jobs will fix the environment and the economy." I understand the appeal of such beliefs. People crave simple answers and want to believe that some higher power determines our fates.
The most socially destructive superstition of all is the intuitively appealing belief that problems are best solved by government.
Opinion polls suggest that Americans are dissatisfied with government. Yet whenever another crisis hits, the natural human instinct is to say, "Why doesn't the government do something?"

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            April 11, 201244% Now See Auto Bailouts As Good for America
American voters have disliked the government bailouts of the financial and automobile industries since day one, but they now view the auto industry bailout more positively than the one given to banks and insurance companies.
Forty-four percent (44%) of Likely U.S. Voters say the government bailouts of the auto industry were good for America, a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds. Only slightly more (47%) now say the auto bailouts were bad for America. (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 8-9, 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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                            April 10, 201248% Still Question Stability of U.S. Banks
Nearly half (48%) of American Adults continue to lack confidence in the stability of the U.S. banking industry, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
Just as many (47%) do remain at least somewhat confident in the nation's banks. These findings include nine percent (9%) who are Very Confident in the banking industry and 18% who are Not At All Confident. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 American Adults nationwide was conducted on April 7-8, 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.
April 10, 2012New Mexico:  Obama 52%, Romney 36%
President Obama continues to hold a double-digit advantage over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in New Mexico. 
A new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters finds Obama earning 52% support to Romney’s 36%. Nine percent (9%) prefer some other candidate, and three percent (3%) are undecided.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
If Rick Santorum is the Republican nominee, Obama leads the former Pennsylvania senator by a similar 53% to 38% margin.  Given that matchup, five percent (5%) favor another candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided.
(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 New Mexico survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted on April 3, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 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, 2012Massachusetts Senate: Warren (D) 46%, Brown (R) 45%
Republican Senator Scott Brown and his chief Democratic challenger, Elizabeth Warren, are now running neck-and-neck in Massachusetts’ red-hot U.S. Senate race.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Massachusetts shows Warren edging Brown by one point, 46% to 45%. One percent (1%) likes some other candidate in the race, and eight percent (8%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Massachusetts was conducted on April 9, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 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, 201244% Think EPA Actions Hurt The Economy
Voters tend to think the actions of the Environmental Protection Agency are bad for the economy and hold decidedly mixed feelings about one of its guiding policies, the federal Endangered Species Act.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters believe, generally speaking, that the EPA’s regulations and actions hurt the economy. Just 17% disagree and think those policies help the economy. Twenty-one percent (21%) say they have no economic impact, but another 17% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 8-9, 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.
April 10, 2012Being in a Disaster as It Unfolds By Froma Harrop
The most dreadful disasters make us wonder how we would respond were we in the middle of it. That's especially true of those events that slowly evolve from concern to horror. On the Titanic, almost three hours elapsed between the thud of the iceberg and the final plunge into the icy Atlantic.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            April 10, 201236% Say There Are Too Many Competing State Lotteries
Lotto fever swept the country recently when the Mega Millions jackpot rose to a record-breaking $656 million, a prize that still has yet to be claimed. Support for state-run lotteries remains steady, but the number of Americans who say there are too many of them continues to rise.
Thirty-six percent (36%) of American Adults believe there are currently too many competing state lotteries, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just nine percent (9%) say there aren’t enough. Forty-one percent (41%) think the number of lotteries is just about right. Fourteen percent (14%) 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 Adults nationwide was conducted on April 5-6, 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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                            April 9, 2012Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 45%, Democrats 40%
Republicans hold a five-point lead over Democrats on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending Sunday, April 8. 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% 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. A week ago, the Republican led by six points, 45% to 39%.
(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 April 2-8, 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.
April 9, 201236% Say Better to Invest in Fossil Fuels Than in Alternative Energy
Americans recognize more strongly than ever that there is a conflict between economic growth and environmental protection. Support for investing in fossil fuels like oil and gas is also at a new high amidst near-record gas prices and the ongoing political debate over development of the Keystone XL pipeline which President Obama has blocked for environmental reasons.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of Likely Voters think there’s a conflict between economic growth and environment protection. Thirty-one percent (31%) disagree, while 17% are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 4-5, 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.