Reading the Signs on the Road to Obama’s Reelection
President Obama on Monday became the first officially declared candidate for the 2012 presidential race, and the early signs suggest it could be a competitive contest.
Politics
Most Recent Releases
April 5, 2011
April 4, 2011
Voters Strongly Believe The Average Member of Congress Doesn't Think Like They Do
Voters continue to view the Republican agenda in Congress as more mainstream than the agenda of the Democrats. But only one-in-four voters think the average member of either party shares the same ideology they do.
April 4, 2011
53% Say Even GOP Spending Cuts Won't Dent The Deficit
Capitol Hill is deadlocked over how deep to cut the current federal budget with Republicans hoping to cut nearly twice as much as Democrats. Yet while voters like the idea of big spending cuts, they don’t think even the GOP cuts will make much of a difference.
April 3, 2011
Ratings For Obama’s National Security Performance Fall to New Low
Although President Obama made an address to the nation Monday night to explain his decision to commit U.S. military forces to Libya, fewer voters than ever give him positive grades on his handling of national security issues.
April 2, 2011
Obama’s Full-Month Rating Down Two Points in March
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.
April 2, 2011
What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending April 2, 2011
With America bogged down in Afghanistan, the nation’s longest-running war, President Obama made a nationally televised address Monday night to explain his decision to use U.S. military forces in Libya, too.
April 1, 2011
57% Okay With Government Shutdown If It Leads to Deeper Budget Cuts
A majority of voters are fine with a partial shutdown of the federal government if that’s what it takes to get deeper cuts in federal government spending.
April 1, 2011
39% Say Legal System Worries Too Much About Individual Rights At Expense of National Security
Voters still tend to think America’s legal system puts too much emphasis on the rights of the individual when it comes to national security and public safety.
March 31, 2011
Americans Still Divided Over Legalizing, Taxing Marijuana
Americans, as they have been for some time, are closely divided over whether the government should use marijuana to help solve the country’s fiscal problems.
March 31, 2011
Just 21% Say U.S. Has Clearly Defined Mission in Libya
Despite President Obama’s address to the nation Monday night, most voters still aren’t clear about why the U.S. military is engaged in Libya.
March 30, 2011
Voter Views on Libya Show Little Change
President Obama’s address to the nation Monday night doesn’t appear to have made voters more confident about his handling of the situation in Libya, nor has it made them feel more strongly that Libya is important to U.S. national security.
March 29, 2011
55% Have a Favorable Opinion of Hillary Clinton
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is viewed by many as the chief advocate of U.S. military intervention in Libya, and voters view her slightly less favorably than they did just over a month ago.
March 29, 2011
35% Say U.S. Should Phase Out Nuclear Power Over Next 50 Years
As the Japanese continue to struggle with the damaged Fukushima nuclear facility, support for the building of nuclear plants in the United States has fallen to a new low. One-third of voters now favor phasing out nuclear power in this country.
March 29, 2011
Only 16% Think Country Would Be Better Off If Most Incumbents in Congress Reelected
Voters are less supportive than ever of congressional incumbents and fewer than one-out-of-three think their own representative is the best person for the job.
March 28, 2011
Voters Less Concerned About Threat of Japanese Radiation
Though American voters are still following news of the nuclear plant crisis in Japan, they are less worried about radiation reaching the United States.
March 28, 2011
69% Still Angry At Government's Current Policies
Midterm elections and a change of power in the U.S. House of Representatives haven't lowered the level of voter discontent with the federal government and the leaders of the two major political parties.
March 26, 2011
What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending March 25, 2011
Americans began the week finding themselves in military action in yet another Islamic country.
March 25, 2011
21% Say Today’s Children Will Be Better Off Than Their Parents
Although today’s children are the future of our nation, most Americans continue to believe they won’t be better off than their parents.
March 25, 2011
Americans Show Little Support for Defending Some Treaty Partners
The United States has defense treaties with a number of nations around the globe, and Rasmussen Reports is asking Americans periodically how they feel about going to bat for these countries if they're attacked. On the latest list of nine countries, most Americans support the United States helping to defend just two of them militarily, Panama and the Bahamas.
March 25, 2011
28% Say Libya Important To U.S. National Security, 42% Disagree
While the Obama administration presses on with the military mission in Libya, few voters view the North African country as important to America’s own security.
