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April 21, 2012What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending April 21, 2012
So goes the housing market, so goes the nation, or at least that’s the way many feel as the U.S. economy continues to stumble along.
For the first time, fewer than half (49%) of U.S. homeowners believe their home is worth more than when they bought it. That’s down 13 points from 62% last October and down a staggering 31 points from 80% who believed that to be true in June 2008. 
No wonder just 52% of Americans believe buying a home is the best investment a family can make. That compares to 73% who felt that way in September 2008.
There are some flickers of hope, but they’re not the kind of numbers to make anyone jump for joy. Eighteen percent (18%) of Americans, for example, say now is a good time for someone in their area to sell their house, the highest finding in two years, although most (63%) still don’t share that sentiment.
April 20, 2012Radio Update:  Most Voters Still Have Positive View of Secret Service
Listen to the latest edition of The Rasmussen Report with noted pollster Scott Rasmussen on the WOR Radio Network. Stations interested in adding “The Rasmussen Report” features to their lineup should contact Willis Damalt at the WOR Radio Network at 212-798-8376 or via email at wdamalt@worradionet.com.

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                            April 20, 2012New Low: 47% View Abortion As Morally Wrong Most of the Time
Roughly half of the nation’s voters remain pro-choice when it comes to abortion, and the number of voters who view the procedure as morally wrong in most situations is below 50% for the first time.
Overall, 51% of Likely U.S. Voters consider themselves pro-choice when it comes to abortion, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Forty percent (40%) say they are pro-life, while another 10% are undecided. (To see survey question wording.  click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 16-17, 2012 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.

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                            April 20, 201281% Are Still Confident in Secret Service’s Protection of the First Family
Voters remain confident in the Secret Service’s protection of President Obama and his family despite the recent scandal involving several agents and prostitutes they hired while on duty in Colombia. They have mixed feelings at this point whether the agents involved in the incident should be criminally prosecuted.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 31% of Likely U.S. Voters believe the Secret Service agents involved in the prostitute incident should face criminal charges, but slightly more (38%) disagree. A sizable number (30%) aren’t sure at this point. (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 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on April 18-19, 2012 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.
April 20, 2012Radio Update: 54% Say Strict Limits on Government More Important Than Right of Voters to Select Leaders
Listen to the latest edition of The Rasmussen Report with noted pollster Scott Rasmussen on the WOR Radio Network. Stations interested in adding “The Rasmussen Report” features to their lineup should contact Willis Damalt at the WOR Radio Network at 212-798-8376 or via email at wdamalt@worradionet.com.
April 19, 2012Radio Update:  Romney Ahead Of Obama For Seventh Straight Day
Listen to the latest edition of The Rasmussen Report with noted pollster Scott Rasmussen on the WOR Radio Network.

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                            April 19, 2012Missouri: Romney 48%, Obama 45%
Mitt Romney still leads President Obama in a head-to-head matchup in Missouri but by a much narrower margin. 
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the state finds the prospective Republican nominee with just a three-point edge over the president – 48% to 45%.  Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
This Missouri survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted on April 17, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
April 19, 2012Radio Update:  64% See Voter Fraud As A Serious Problem
Listen to the latest edition of The Rasmussen Report with noted pollster Scott Rasmussen on the WOR Radio Network. Stations interested in adding “The Rasmussen Report” features to their lineup should contact Willis Damalt at the WOR Radio Network at 212-798-8376 or via email at wdamalt@worradionet.com.
April 18, 2012Radio Update:  50% Say America's Best Days Are In the Past
Listen to the latest edition of The Rasmussen Report with noted pollster Scott Rasmussen on the WOR Radio Network. Stations interested in adding “The Rasmussen Report” features to their lineup should contact Willis Damalt at the WOR Radio Network at 212-798-8376 or via email at wdamalt@worradionet.com.

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                            April 18, 201239% Say Community Watch Officers Should Be Allowed To Carry A Gun
Comedian Bill Cosby said recently that the Trayvon Martin case raised serious questions about community watch volunteers being allowed to carry guns. "We've got to get the gun out of the hands of people who are supposed to be on neighborhood watch,” Cosby said.  "Without a gun, I don't see [George] Zimmerman approaching Trayvon by himself." Americans have mixed feelings about Cosby's analysis. 
Thirty-nine percent (39%) of American Adults think volunteer community watch officers should be allowed to carry guns, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Forty-six percent (46%) disagree and think these volunteers should not be armed. Fifteen percent (15%) are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on April 11-12, 2012 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.

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                            April 18, 201292% Favor Strict Limits on Government To Protect the Individual
Voters believe too much government power is a dangerous thing and put a very high value on protecting the rights of the individual.
Sixty-five percent (65%) of Likely U.S. Voters agree with the statement that a government powerful enough to do everything you want is also powerful enough to take away everything you have. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that only 23% disagree with that statement. Eleven percent (11%) are not sure about it. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on April 16-17, 2012 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. 

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                            April 18, 2012Most Favor Stricter Regulation of Coal Plant Emissions But Recognize Energy Will Cost More
The Obama administration has proposed tighter restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions which critics believe will discourage construction of new coal power plants.  Several states that rely heavily on the coal industry are challenging the new rules, but a majority of voters nationwide favor them. Most recognize, however, that the new rules will drive up energy costs.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows that 53% favor new environmental regulations that place stricter limits on carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants. Twenty-nine percent (29%) oppose the new regulations, and 18% are not sure about them. (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 Likely Voters was conducted on April 14-15, 2012 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.
April 16, 2012Radio Update: Voters Trust Romney More Than Obama On Economy
Listen to the latest edition of The Rasmussen Report with noted pollster Scott Rasmussen on the WOR Radio Network.

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                            April 16, 201239% Think Media Has Done Poor Job Covering Trayvon Martin Death
The media has been criticized for its sensationalist coverage of the shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, magnifying the racial aspect of the story. NBC-TV has even had to fire a producer who edited a tape for broadcast that incorrectly made shooter George Zimmernan sound like he was singling out Martin because he was black. Americans overall give mixed reviews to the media coverage of the Martin case, but there is a wide racial difference of opinion.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 33% of American Adults rate the media's handling of the Martin death and its aftermath as good or excellent.  Thirty-nine percent (39%) think the media has done a poor job in this case.  (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 April 11-12, 2012 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.

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                            April 16, 201273% Think Photo ID Requirement Before Voting Does Not Discriminate
Despite his insistence that voter fraud is not a serious problem, Attorney General Eric Holder was embarrassed last week when a video surfaced of someone illegally obtaining a ballot to vote under Holder’s name in his home precinct in Washington, D.C. Most voters consider voter fraud a problem in America today and continue to overwhelmingly support laws requiring people to show photo identification before being allowed to vote.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 64% of Likely U.S. Voters rate voter fraud at least a somewhat serious problem in the United States today, and just 24% disagree. This includes 35% who consider it a Very Serious problem and seven percent (7%) who view it as Not At All Serious. Twelve percent (12%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 12-13, 2012 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.

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                            April 14, 201246% in Massachusetts Want Supreme Court to Overturn Health Care Law
Massachusetts voters continue to send mixed signals about their state's law mandating health insurance for all and are evenly divided over whether the U.S. Supreme Court should overturn President Obama's law modeled in part on the Massachusetts plan.
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Massachusetts finds that 44% believe the state's health care reform plan has been a success. Thirty-one percent (31%) say the plan, passed while likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney was governor, has been a failure. One-in four (24%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
This Massachusetts survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted April 9, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
April 14, 2012What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending April 14, 2012
The game is on: Mitt Romney is now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee following Rick Santorum’s decision Tuesday to put his campaign on hold.
Romney has been at center stage during the GOP primary process. Now, Scott Rasmussen explains in his latest syndicated column, President Obama “becomes the defining figure of the general election campaign. Now it's about Obama, not Romney, as the election becomes primarily a referendum on his first term in office.”

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                            April 13, 2012Christie, Santorum Are Early Veep Favorites
With Mitt Romney now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, speculation has quickly shifted to possible running mates. So Rasmussen Reports has begun testing the waters on some of the more prominent names being mentioned as vice presidential candidates.
New Jersey’s outspoken Governor Chris Christie is the best liked of the first group of five, edging out former Senator Rick Santorum who just ended his presidential bid. Our latest national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows that Christie is viewed favorably by 43% and unfavorably by 35%. That includes 21% with a Very Favorable opinion of him and 16% with a Very Unfavorable one. But one-in-five voters (22%) don’t know enough about Christie to voice any opinion. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 10-11, 2012 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.
April 12, 201249% Trust Romney Over Obama on Economy; 39% Trust President More
Voters now have more confidence in presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney than in President Obama when it comes to the economy, but on other major issues facing the nation, the two men continue to run nearly even.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey asks Likely U.S. Voters whom they trust more on five key issues, and when it comes to the economy, 49% say Romney versus 39% who trust the president more. Twelve percent (12%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
This national survey of 1,000 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on April 10-11, 2012 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.

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                            April 12, 201236% Say U.S. Spends Too Much on Military and National Security
As budget battles continue in Washington, D.C., voters increasingly think the United States is putting too much money into defense.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 36% of Likely U.S. Voters now feel the country spends too much on the military and national security. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say the country doesn’t spend enough in this area, and another 27% say the amount spent is about right. (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 Likely Voters was conducted on April 6-7, 2012 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.