What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls -- February 16, 2013

Voters must sometimes wonder what part of the phrase “spending cuts” their elected officials don’t seem to understand.

In this weekend’s edition of What America Thinks, Scott Rasmussen and his guests, former DNC Chairman Howard Dean and Republican Senator Bob Corker, discuss spending and other issues raised by President Obama in his latest State of the Union address. What America Thinks airs on 61 TV stations nationwide. Find a station in your area.

The economy, government spending and job creation were the top issues on voters’ minds before the president’s Tuesday night speech. They remain the top concerns after the speech, too. 

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending February 9, 2013

What voters want isn’t often what they get.

Case in point: President Obama has indicated that gun control and immigration reform are his top priorities for the year and will be central to his State of the Union address this coming Tuesday night. But voters rate government spending and job creation as far more important issues than either gun control or immigration.

The issues the president cares about are important to Democrats, and that may be the key, Scott Rasmussen explains in his latest weekly newspaper column. “By focusing on the ability of Congress to block progress on these initiatives,” he writes, ”the president may give his base strong motivation to show up for the midterm elections.”

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending February 2, 2013

The week began with a bipartisan immigration reform plan that includes a pathway to citizenship for the millions of illegal immigrants already here and ended with a worsening of the national unemployment rate. Voters have little faith in their elected representatives to set either issue right.

Voters continue to favor a welcoming immigration policy and rate both border control and legalizing the status of those here illegally as important goals. However, voters are dubious that the government will actually make more of en effort to stop illegal immigration if the plan is passed by Congress. 

“Despite the broad support for the outlines of the bipartisan legislation, the prospects for its passage are far from clear,” Scott Rasmussen explains in his latest weekly newspaper column. “The reason has little to do with the immigration issue itself and everything to do with the lack of public trust in the government.”

Consumer Spending Update: Economic Confidence Declines Again in February

Economic confidence decreased to 89.9 in this month’s Rasmussen Reports Economic Index, nearly four points lower than January.

Consumer Spending Update: Economic Confidence Down Again in February

Economic confidence fell to 96.5 in this month’s Rasmussen Reports Economic Index, eight-tenths of a point lower than January. This second consecutive month of declines brings the index to its lowest point since May 2020.

Where People Voted in 2022 — and Where They Didn’t By Rhodes Cook

The vast differences in congressional district turnout.

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— Despite a requirement that congressional districts have roughly identical populations within states, the number of raw votes cast in each district can vary widely, both within a state and across the country.

— In 2022, there was a nearly 300,000-vote difference between the lowest-turnout district (NY-15 in New York City) and the highest-turnout one (MI-1 in northern Michigan).

— Republicans won about two-thirds of the districts that cast the most votes (300,000 or more) while Democrats won about two-thirds of the districts that cast the fewest (less than 200,000).

Obama’s Full-Month Approval Up Again in February

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.

Biden Approval Bounces Up in February

When tracking President Biden’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...

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The Rasmussen Reports Immigration Index for the week of February 19-23, 2023, increased to 90.6, up more than three points from 87.4 two weeks earlier.

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls Week Ending February 25, 2023

In surveys last week, this is what America told Rasmussen Reports...

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending February 18, 2023

In surveys last week, this is what America told Rasmussen Reports...

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending February 11, 2023

In surveys last week, this is what America told Rasmussen Reports...

Rasmussen Reports Immigration Index - Week Ending February 9, 2023

The Rasmussen Reports Immigration Index for the week of February 5-9, 2023, decreased to 87.4, down nearly two points from 89.2 two weeks earlier.

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending February 4, 2023

In surveys last week, this is what America told Rasmussen Reports...

Biden Approval Increased in February

When tracking President Biden’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...

Rasmussen Reports Immigration Index - Week Ending December 29, 2022

The Rasmussen Reports Immigration Index for the week of December 11-15, 2022, increased to 94.3, up three points from 91.3 two weeks earlier.

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending December 31, 2022

In surveys last week, this is what America told Rasmussen Reports...

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending December 24, 2022

In surveys last week, this is what America told Rasmussen Reports...

Christmas 2022: Still ‘The Most Wonderful Time of the Year’

Public opinion often changes, but year in and year out, Christmas remains America’s favorite holiday.

Three Big Surprises of 2022: Weakened Russia, Weakened China, Weakened American Economy By Michael Barone

 2022 was a year full of surprises. Important things didn't work out as many people had expected on just about every point on the political spectrum.