Only 9% Give Congress Positive Marks
Ratings for Congress are up slightly from the record lows of the past two months, but most voters still think it's doing a poor job. They're also a bit less convinced that most members of Congress are corrupt.
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September 27, 2011
September 27, 2011
Obama 44%, Paul 34%
A month ago, they were neck-and-neck. Now President Obama has a 10-point lead over Texas Congressman Ron Paul in a hypothetical Election 2012 matchup.
September 27, 2011
71% Favor Term Limits for Congress
Voters strongly support term limits for all members of Congress but don’t think it’s very likely the national legislators will vote to limit how long they can serve. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 71% of Likely U.S. Voters favor establishing term limits for all members of Congress. Just 14% oppose setting such limits, and 15% are undecided about them. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
September 27, 2011
The Middle Class and Its Entitlements By Froma Harrop
To what are Americans entitled? Government-guaranteed health coverage in old age? Government-guaranteed health coverage at any age? Subsidized housing if they're low income? Subsidized food? Subsidies for growing wheat but not making shoes? Subsidies for homeowning?
September 27, 2011
60% Still Favor Death Penalty
The execution of Troy Davis last week for murdering a Georgia policeman prompted controversy here and abroad, but it did little to shift opinions on the death penalty. Still, a sizable majority of Americans worries that people may be executed for crimes they didn't commit.
September 26, 2011
Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 42%, Democrats 40%
Republicans hold just a two-point advantage over Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending Sunday, September 25. That is the highest level of support for Democrats in nearly three months and ties the narrowest margin between the two parties in the last two years.
September 26, 2011
39% See 'Pro-Gun' As Positive Label, 27% Say It's A Negative
Rasmussen Reports periodically asks Likely U.S. Voters to rate political labels, and the latest national telephone survey finds that 39% consider it a positive when a political candidate is described as being “pro-gun.”
September 26, 2011
Obama 44%, Perry 38%
While Texas Governor Rick Perry has been widely criticized for his debate performance last Thursday in Florida, that criticism doesn't seem to have moved the numbers in a hypothetical Election 2012 matchup with President Obama. The president still holds a single-digit lead over the frontrunner in the GOP primary race.
September 26, 2011
59% Oppose Government Loan Help for Alternative Energy Company Like Solyndra
The questionable financial dealings of solar panel manufacturer Solyndra and its ties to the Obama administration are drawing little public attention so far, but most voters agree government help is not the best way to develop alternative energy sources.
September 26, 2011
Still Looking for a Candidate to Replace Obama By Michael Barone
The Republicans' presidential debate Thursday night sponsored by Fox News and Google gave primary voters and caucus-goers at least one good reason to reject every candidate on the stage. The interesting question now is whether someone else will enter the race -- at just about the same point in the election cycle in which Bill Clinton entered the Democratic race in 1991.
September 26, 2011
73% See Significant Deficit-Cutting Agreement As Unlikely Before 2012 Election
Regardless of their views on the content of any major deficit reduction plan, voters do not expect any significant reduction in federal government spending before next year’s election.
September 25, 2011
35% Say Legal System Places Individual Rights Over Public Safety
More than a third of voters believe the U.S. legal system worries too much about individual rights when it comes to public safety, but fewer believe it puts those rights over protecting national security.
September 24, 2011
What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending September 24, 2011
For many Americans, their home is their primary investment in the future. Concern remains at record levels that that investment is at risk, and the sour economy continues to play heavily on next year’s race for the White House.
September 24, 2011
Just 22% Support Government-Assisted Mortgage Payments
Most Americans still don’t believe the government should help those who can’t afford to make their mortgage payments.
September 23, 2011
Phillies Are Favorite To Win World Series, Most Fans Rooting Against Yankees
With less than a week to go before the end of the 2011 regular season, the Philadelphia Phillies are the odds-on favorite to win this year’s World Series.
September 23, 2011
Obama 48%, Bachmann 32%
Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann continues to fade in the latest hypothetical 2012 matchup with President Obama.
September 23, 2011
50% Favor Mix of Cuts, Taxes To Reduce Deficit, But 64% Oppose Paying Higher Taxes
Fifty percent (50%) of Americans think President Obama and Congress should consider a mix of spending cuts and tax increases in looking for ways to cut the federal deficit, but nearly two-out-of-three adults (64%) are unwilling to pay higher taxes themselves to reduce that deficit.
September 23, 2011
New Hampshire GOP Primary: Romney 39%, Perry 18%, Paul 13%
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is the runaway leader in the race for the 2012 Republican nomination in New Hampshire, home of next year’s first presidential primary.
September 23, 2011
New Hampshire GOP Primary: Romney 39%, Perry 18%, Paul 13%
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is the runaway leader in the race for the 2012 Republican nomination in New Hampshire, home of next year’s first presidential primary.
September 22, 2011
33% Give Supreme Court Positive Ratings
While voters continue to give the U.S. Supreme Court’s job performance lukewarm reviews, they are a bit less likely to say the justices are too politically liberal.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Voters shows that 33% say the Supreme Court is doing a good or excellent job, with only three percent (3%) who give the high court an excellent grade. Nineteen percent (19%) give the Supreme Court a poor rating. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Positive ratings for the high court are only slightly below results found in June, but are just three points above the all-time low of 30% measured in late March. The court's good/excellent ratings have generally run in the mid-to upper 30s in surveying since November 2006.
Now, 30% of voters believe the Supreme Court is too politically liberal, down just a point from June but the lowest finding since the question was first posed in July 2009. Twenty-seven percent (27%) believe the high court is too politically conservative, which ties the highest level in two years. Another 27% say the court’s ideology is about right, a finding that has ranged from 27% to 42%. Fifteen percent (15%) more are undecided.
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The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 20-21, 2011 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.
