Lifestyle

34% Plan To Pass Out Candy on Halloween

There's more commercial emphasis on Halloween than ever but little or no change in the number of adults getting into the spirit of the holiday.

31% Believe in Ghosts

It's that time of year again for visits to haunted houses and tales of ghastly ghouls.  How about this for a story?  More Americans than ever say they believe in ghosts.
 
 A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that now nearly one-in-three American Adults (31%) believe in spectral phenomena. Sixty-two percent (62%) do not, but seven percent (7%) aren't sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

71% Say Volunteering Serves Community More Than Entering Politics

Americans still overwhelmingly believe that volunteering is more important than getting involved in politics in terms of serving their community, and most have done some kind of volunteer work within the past month.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 71% believe doing volunteer work for a church, community organization or charitable group is more important in terms of serving the community than getting involved in politics. Only 14% believe getting involved in politics better serves the place they live. Another 14% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

59% Rate Their Own Lives As Good Or Excellent

Although the nation is facing hard economic times, most Americans still regard their own life positively.   

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 59% of American Adults rate their own lives today as good or excellent, including 22% who say their life is excellent.  Just nine percent (9%) rate their lives today as poor.  (To see survey question wording, click here).

59% See Years Before 40 As Best of Their Lives

For most Americans, the best years of their lives happen before they turn 40.

Americans Like Surveillance Cameras Except at Red Lights

Most adults nationwide support the use of surveillance cameras on police cars and in public spaces like train stations and parks, but they aren’t quite as sold on the idea of installing them at traffic intersections.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 86% of American Adults believe it’s a good idea for police cars to use surveillance cameras to monitor what happens when officers approach and apprehend suspects. Only 10% don’t like the idea. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

A majority (66%) also thinks there should be surveillance cameras in all major public spaces such as train stations, parks and sports stadiums. This idea draws opposition from 23% of adults, while 11% are undecided.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is planning on installing cameras on all buses, subways and trolleys by 2013 in part to foil false injury claims. Other big cities such as New York, Washington, DC and Atlanta have heavily increased use of surveillance cameras in recent years as an anti-crime measure.

But less than half of adults (44%) think it’s a good idea to use cameras at traffic intersections to catch speeders and those who run red lights. The same number (44%) does not see cameras at intersections as a good thing. Twelve percent (12%) are not sure.

(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 survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on October 11-12, 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.

62% Say Personal Responsibility for Health More Important Than Health Insurance

While the health care debate continues to dominate the political landscape, most voters feel individual lifestyle choices play a bigger role than their level of medical care in determining how healthy someone is. But there’s a wide partisan gap on the question.

60% Think Politics Behind Awarding of Nobel Prizes

Most Americans still question the prestige of the Nobel Prizes and think politics plays a part in who wins them.

48% Think Apple Will Remain on Cutting Edge Despite Jobs’ Death

Most Americans hold a favorable opinion of Steve Jobs, Apple Computer’s co-founder and CEO who died last week, and nearly half think his company will remain a technological leader despite his passing.

61% Still Think U.S. Should Celebrate Columbus Day

Christopher Columbus is still generally regarded as the explorer who “discovered” America, and most Americans think the United States should remember him with a holiday. But they don’t rate Columbus Day, celebrated officially today, very high on the list of U.S. holidays.

Voters Still View U.S. Race Relations As A Mixed Bag

Voters of all races nationwide continue to view relations between whites, blacks and Hispanics as a work in progress.

11% Think Amanda Knox Is Guilty of Murder

Very few Americans believe Amanda Knox is guilty of murdering her flatmate in Italy four years ago, and a plurality feels the media played an important part in overturning her conviction.

46% Plan To Get Flu Shot This Year, 48% Don't

Flu season is upon us again, but less than half of Americans nationwide plan to get a flu shot this year. Over a quarter of adults say they are less likely to get one because of the mildness of last year’s season.

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.

48% Give Positive Marks to Government Response to Irene

Hurricane Irene didn’t hit the East Coast of the United States nearly as hard as was initially projected, but Americans give the government and the media generally good marks for not taking any chances.

For 17%, Labor Day Is One of the Top Holidays

Only a small percentage of Americans consider Labor Day one of the nation’s biggest holidays, and most celebrate it as the unofficial end of summer rather than a recognition of union workers.

Just 33% Took A Summer Vacation This Year

Fewer adults took a summer vacation this year, and half of those that did had to cut back for economic reasons.

72% Went to a Cookout This Summer

So what did Americans do this summer?

69% Concerned About Economic Impact Of Hurricane Irene

While Hurricane Irene did less damage than originally predicted, Americans nationwide still are concerned about the hurricane’s impact on the struggling U.S. economy.

81% Following Hurricane Irene, 63% Like News Coverage

Most Americans closely followed news about Hurricane Irene as it neared our shores and give good marks to the media coverage of threatening bad weather.