The majority of these poll results, with the exception of the prediction that the Colts will win the Super Bowl, indicate that Americans are dissatisfied with government at the federal and state levels. The job approvals of those in elected office continue to be at historic lows.
The sentiment expressed in these polls suggests that there may be a significant shift in power as a result of the Nov 2010 elections.
Majority Expect Economy, Personal Situation to Improve Next Year Energy, Gas and Food Still Drain Wallets Layoffs, Cut Hours Strap Worried and Cash Tight Consumers Most Cut Impulse Buys, Fun, Big Purchases, and Monitor Energy to Get by
Where is Batman to call the Schenectady County Commisioners.....DO THEY GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 Iran has now rejected a year-end deadline to comply with a UN plan to end the deadlock over the Islamic country’s nuclear program. But U.S. voters strongly believe the United Nations hasn’t been tough enough with Iran.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 67% of voters say the UN has not been aggressive enough in response to Iran’s nuclear program. Just five percent (5%) say the international organization has been too aggressive, and 19% think the amount of pressure has been about right.
In late September, 51% said President Obama was not tough enough responding to Iran’s nuclear efforts.
Thirty-three percent (33%) predict that America’s relationship with Iran will be worse a year from now, while 13% say it will be better. Forty-one percent (41%) expect the relationship to be about the same. These numbers are little changed from the survey in September.
Generic Congressional Ballot Republicans Post Eight-Point Lead On Generic Ballot
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 Republican candidates now have an eight-point lead over Democrats, their biggest lead of the year, in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot.
The new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 44% would vote for their district’s Republican congressional candidate while 36% would opt for his or her Democratic opponent. Support for GOP candidates held steady over the past week, but support for Democrats slipped by a point.
50% Agree Afghanistan Is A 'Just' War Monday, December 14, 2009 Fifty percent (50%) of U.S. voters agree with President Obama that Afghanistan is a "just" war.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 24% disagree with the president’s declaration about Afghanistan in his speech accepting the Nobel Peace Prize last week. Another 27% are undecided.
Similarly, 52% think the president was right when he said, “The belief that peace is desirable is rarely enough to achieve it.” Twenty percent (20%) take issue with Obama’s remark, but 29% are not sure if he’s right or not.
Fifty-three percent (53%) of voters support the president’s plan to send another 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, and nearly as many (47%) like his plan to begin withdrawing troops in 18 months. Put the two together, however, and 37% support the overall plan, while 38% oppose it.
62% Think Afghanistan Will Be A Harder Fight Than Iraq Monday, December 14, 2009 Sixty-two percent (62%) of U.S. voters think it will be harder for America to make progress in Afghanistan than it was in Iraq.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 16% of voters disagree with that pessimistic assessment. But 22% are not sure.
President Obama recently announced his plan to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan by July 2011, but only 36% of voters believe it is even somewhat likely that all combat troops will be removed from the country before the end of his first term in the White House.
Fifty-eight percent (58%) say it’s unlikely all combat troops will be out by late January 2013.
Those numbers includes 13% who say it is very likely and 19% who say it is not very likely the troops will be home by the end of the presidential term. Most voters are less certain of the outcome.
Overall, the numbers are little changed since the president’s December 1 speech outlining his war strategy in Afghanistan.
Daily Presidential Tracking Poll Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 26% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-four percent (44%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -18 (see trends).
Nine percent (9%) of adults rate the economy as good or excellent while 55% say it’s in poor shape. That’s one reason just 16% say they’ll be spending more on holiday gifts this season. Sixty-three percent (63%) say they’ll be spending less.
Sixty-seven percent (67%) believe the United Nations is not tough enough on Iran.
Rasmussen Consumer Index 55% Say Economy is in Poor Condition Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures the economic confidence of consumers on a daily basis, fell a point on Wednesday to 77.1. That’s little changed from a week ago, up three from a month ago, and up sixteen from a year ago.
Nine percent (9%) rate the economy as good or excellent while 55% say it’s in poor shape. That’s one reason that just 16% of Americans will be spending more on gifts this holiday season. Sixty-three percent (63%) will be spending less.
The Rasmussen Investor Index, which measures the economic confidence of investors on a daily basis, fell three points on Wednesday to 84.4. That’s down a point from a week ago and down seven from a month ago. However, investor confidence is up eighteen points from a year ago.
55% View Michelle Obama Favorably Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Highly popular First Lady Michelle Obama is a little less well-liked this month but still rates far ahead of her husband as far as most voters are concerned.
New Rasmussen Reports national telephone surveying finds that 55% of U.S. voters have at least a somewhat favorable opinion of Mrs. Obama, down seven points from November and the lowest overall finding of the year. The new number includes 31% with a very favorable view of the first lady.
Thirty-seven percent (37%) regard Mrs. Obama unfavorably, including 17% who view her somewhat unfavorably and another 20% with a very unfavorable opinion. This marks the first lady’s highest overall unfavorables of 2008.
Since Rasmussen Reports’ monthly surveying on Mrs. Obama began in early March, her previous favorables have ranged from 58% to 67% and her unfavorables from 24% to 35%.
Voters Hopeful About Black-White Relations, Less So About Hispanics Monday, December 21, 2009
Voters strongly believe that black-white relations are better today - and improving - but are much less confident about the social situation with Hispanics.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 80% of voters think relations between white Americans and black Americans are better today than they were in the 1960s. Just 11% say that isn’t so.
Sixty-two percent (62%) also feel that relations between black and white Americans are getting better. Twenty percent (20%) say that relationship is getting worse, and 11% see it as about the same as it always has been.
However, just 40% of voters nationwide say relations between white Americans and Hispanics are getting better. Nearly as many (34%) say they are getting worse. Fifteen percent (15%) see no change.
Voters are even more pessimistic about the relationship between African-Americans and Hispanics.
Eighteen percent (18%) say it’s getting better, but twice as many (36%) say relations between the two are getting worse. Twenty percent (20%) say neither is the case, while another 26% are not sure.
Budget Priorities Voters Still Put Health Care Second to Deficit Cutting As Top Obama Priority Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Voters, as they have all year, rate cutting the federal deficit in half by the end of his first term as President Obama’s number one budget priority.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 42% put deficit cutting in first place, followed by 22% who say health care reform is most important. These numbers are virtually unchanged from a month ago and have been voters’ top two concerns – in that order – since the president listed his priorities earlier this year.
However, voters also continue to believe that cutting the deficit in half is the goal Obama is least likely to achieve and say health care reform is the one he is most likely to accomplish.
As for the president’s other budget priorities detailed in a speech to Congress in February, 17% of voters say ensuring that every child has access to a complete and competitive education is most important, while 12% think development of new sources of energy ranks highest.
45% Say Cyberattack Greater Economic Threat Than Another 9/11Wednesday, December 23, 2009
President Obama on Tuesday named the first White House cybersecurity chief, even as news reports surfaced that computer hackers may have stolen U.S.-South Korean military secrets and millions of dollars from Citgroup.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 45% of Americans believe a cyberattack by terrorist hackers poses a greater economic threat to the United States than another 9/11 attack on New York City and Washington, D.C.
Twenty-four percent (24%) disagree 32% are not sure. The U.S. economy was severely disrupted by the 2001 attacks, but consumer confidence is currently lower than it was in the aftermath of those attacks.
Those who rarely or never use the Internet are more worried about the threat of cyberattacks than those who are regularly online.
Seventy-four percent (74%) of all adults are at least somewhat concerned about the safety of government computer programs from cyberattack. That figure includes 35% who are very concerned. Only 22% percent are not very or not at all concerned about the safety of those computer programs.
Right Direction or Wrong Track Just 29% Say U.S. Heading In Right Direction Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Just 29% of U.S. voters now say the country is heading in the right direction, the lowest level measured since early February, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
The percentage of voters who felt the country is heading in the right direction remained in the narrow range of 31% to 35% from July to early November. For the previous three weeks, however, confidence in the country’s current course has held steady at 30%.
The majority of voters (65%) continue to believe the nation is heading down the wrong track. The latest finding is up slightly from last week and has remained fairly consistent for months. In the weeks just prior to Barack Obama's election, more than 80% of voters felt that way.
This time last year, 17% said the country was heading in the right direction, while 77% said it was heading down the wrong track. Following Obama’s inauguration in January, voter confidence in the direction of the country began steadily increasing, peaking at 40% in early May. Since then voter confidence has steadily declined.
Zogby Interactive: 72% Believe American Public Doesn't Follow Political News
Survey finds 85% claim they personally follow news closely
UTICA, New York - Nearly three-in-four Americans (72%) believe most of the country is not politically engaged and does not follow the news from Washington closely. Only 15% believe the American public is informed about national politics, a new Zogby Interactive poll shows.
The belief that Americans are politically uninformed cuts across party lines with 72% of Democrats, 74% of Republicans, and 70% of political independents all holding that view. Older Americans are more likely to believe the general public is politically aware - 21% of those age 65 and older believe Americans closely follow Washington news, compared to just 12% of those age 18-29 who say the same.
Most Americans claim they personally follow the news closely
Despite the belief that most Americans do not pay attention to the news, 85% of Americans say they personally follow the news closely. Of those, 62% say that while there are some news stations and papers they like and some they do not, they can usually find a reliable source for news. The remaining 23% who follow the news closely say they have a difficult time finding a news station or newspaper they like and they do not see many reliable sources for news. Twelve percent of respondents say they once followed the news but no longer watch because they have been turned off by the quality of news programming and reporting.
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