Lifestyle

11% Have Finished Holiday Shopping, 49% Haven’t Started

After the much-hyped Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, only a few more Americans say they are done with their holiday shopping compared to last week. Nearly half still haven’t even started.

70% Prefer 'Merry Christmas' Over 'Happy Holidays' on Store Signs

Holiday shoppers, as they have for several years, would prefer to be greeted with signs reading “Merry Christmas” rather than “Happy Holidays” this season.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 70% prefer that stores use signs that say “Merry Christmas.”

62% Plan To Spend Less On Gifts This Year

Most Americans plan to spend less money on gifts than they did last year, and fewer adults will be doing their shopping on the Internet.  

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 62% of American Adults say they’ll spend less on gifts than they did a year ago, while just 11% say they’ll spend more.

(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 survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on November 22, 2010 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.

7% Finished With Holiday Shopping – Before Black Friday

Even before the much-hyped Black Friday shopping rush, seven percent (7%) of American Adults say they already have finished their holiday shopping, up from four percent (4%) at the beginning of the month. At the other extreme, a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 59% have not even started.

83% Have A Lot To Be Thankful For This Thanksgiving

America is going through tough economic times, but its citizens still say overwhelmingly that they have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day. In fact, more Americans than ever view this holiday as one of the nation’s most important ones.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 58% regard Thanksgiving as one of the nation’s most important holidays.

48% Will Spend Thanksgiving At Home

More Americans will be having their Thanksgiving dinner at home this year, but nearly half still plan on overindulging during the holiday meal.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults finds that only 34% plan on going to a relative's home for their Thanksgiving meal. Instead, 48% plan to enjoy the holiday meal in their own home.

(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 survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on November 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.

43% Have Put Off Medical Procedures To Save Money

More Americans than ever say they’ve avoided the doctor’s office because they cannot afford it. 

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 43% say they’ve postponed a medical checkup or procedure to save money in the past six months.  That finding shows little change from last September, but is up six points from March 2009. 

The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on November 14-15, 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.

30% Have Favorable Opinion of Paterno, 51% Unfavorable

One-out-of-two Americans agree with Penn State’s decision to fire longtime football coach Joe Paterno following the disclosure of child sex abuse allegations against one of his former assistant coaches, but most don’t think the team should be denied a chance to play in a bowl game if it’s eligible.

However, a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 30% of Adults now hold at least a somewhat favorable opinion of Paterno, the 84-year-old football legend who has been coaching at Pennsylvania State University since 1966.

72% Have Grown Children Living With Them Or Knows Someone Who Does

Americans nationwide overwhelmingly agree that it’s more common for grown children to live with their parents these days, and they don’t think that’s a good thing.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 86% believe it is more common for grown children to live with their parents compared to 20 years ago.

64% Favor Jailing Sex Offenders Indefinitely If Necessary

As new disclosures emerge from the scandal at Penn State University, most Americans feel the criminal justice system is not aggressive enough in fighting child sex abuse and think that convicted offenders should be jailed indefinitely if officials feel they might strike again.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 87% of American Adults believe that child sex abuse is at least a somewhat serious problem in the country today, with 57% who say it’s a Very Serious issue. Just nine percent (9%) don’t consider child sex abuse a serious problem, including two percent (2%) who say it’s Not At All Serious.

(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 survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on November 8-9, 2010 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.

PSU Gets Poor Marks for Initial Handling of Sex Abuse Reports

As the child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State University continues to unfold,  most Americans say the school's officials did a poor job handling the initial allegations that eventually led to the grand jury investigation of former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that eight percent (8%) rate the way Penn State officials handled the initial allegations of child sex abuse as good or excellent.  Fifty-seven percent (57%) rate the initial handling of the situation as poor.

(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 survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on November 8-9, 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.

New Low: 39% Favor Tougher Prosecution for Hate Crime Suspects

Most Americans continue to think the government is too worried about the concerns of minorities in this country, and support for so-called “hate crime” laws has fallen to its lowest level ever.

Only 27% Think Daylight Saving Time Saves Energy

Americans will gain an hour of sleep tonight, but a plurality of Americans don't think Daylight Saving Time (DST) saves energy as intended.
 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 27% of American Adults think DST is an effective way to save energy. Forty-three percent (43%) disagree, while another 29% are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(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 survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on November 2-3, 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.

60% Say Profiling Necessary in Today’s Society

Most Americans still believe in the need for profiling and feel it should be used to determine who is searched at airports.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 60% of American Adults say profiling - the use of factors such as race, ethnicity and overall appearance to determine the subjects of security checks - is necessary in today’s society.  Twenty-seven percent (27%) disagree and feel profiling is an unnecessary violation of civil rights.  Another 13% 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 survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on October 29-30, 2010 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.

Just 18% Say America Better Off Than Five Years Ago

An overwhelming majority of Americans don't think the nation is better off today than it was five years ago, but most would still choose to live here over anywhere else.
 
 The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Adults shows that only 18% believe America is better off today than it was five years ago.

The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on November 2-3, 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.

23% Have Already Started Holiday Shopping

There’s still three weeks to go before Thanksgiving, but nearly one-out-of-four Americans have already begun their holiday gift shopping.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 23% have started their holiday gift shopping, while most (73%) have not. Only four percent (4%) have already finished their holiday gift shopping.

(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 survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on November 2-3, 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.

79% See Political Correctness As Serious Problem in America

Hank Williams Jr. won’t be singing the opening song for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” anymore as a result of a comment he made about President Obama. Some consider him the latest prominent victim of political correctness.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 79% of American Adults think political correctness is a serious problem in America today, up five points from a year ago.  Just 16% feel it’s not a problem for the country. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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.)