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Rasmussen...
What They Told Us:
Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls
Saturday, April 02, 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.
But the president’s speech 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. Scott Rasmussen in a new video analysis takes a closer look
at the “tepid” response most voters have.
Only 21% of Likely Voters think the United States has a clearly defined
military mission in Libya, similar to doubts voters raised in a recent
separate poll about Afghanistan. Fifty-six percent (56%) disagree and
say the military does not have a clearly defined mission in Libya.
Nearly one-in-four voters (23%) are not sure.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is seen 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.
At week’s end, 45% of voters at least somewhat approved of the
president’s job performance in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential
Tracking Poll. Fifty-five percent (55%) disapproved.
Americans are still closely following news from the other side of the
world but now are less worried about radiation from Japan’s damaged
Fukushima nuclear facility reaching the United States. At the same
time, however, 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.
Columnist Tony Blankley criticizes the president’s Libya
decision, arguing that “the humans for which our government should
provide humanitarian relief and nation-building services should be
limited to American humans.”
A look at our latest economic surveys gives some sense of what Blankley
is talking about. The number of Americans who think the U.S. economy
will spiral into a depression similar to the 1930s is at its highest
level in two years.
The Rasmussen Employment Index, which measures workers’ perceptions of
the labor market each month, plummeted nine points in March to its
lowest level since last August. Just 18% of working Americans now
report that their firms are hiring, while 25% say their firms are
laying workers off.
Despite the improved employment figures released on Friday,
eight-out-of-10 Americans continue to know someone who is unemployed
and currently looking for work. Most adults remain pessimistic about
the future job market.
Roughly one-in-four Americans now think the government should assume
responsibility for those who have been unemployed for an extended
period of time. Sixty-three percent (63%), however, don’t see a
long-term government solution to chronic unemployment.
If the overall economy is improving in 2011, small business owners
aren’t feeling it. Their outlook on the direction of the economy and
the climate for their particular businesses has been in decline since
January, and more than half of them have rated the economy as poor for
19 consecutive months, according to the March Discover(R) Small
Business Watch(SM).
The Rasmussen Consumer and Investor Indexes, which measure daily
confidence in both groups, are down several points from the beginning
of the year.
Voters continue to believe, as they have for years, that tax cuts and
decreases in government spending are a good way to boost the economy.
But they also think their elected representatives still don’t get it.
The threat of a partial government shutdown has taken center stage in
the budget battle in Washington, but to most voters it’s a no-brainer.
Fifty-seven percent (57%) are fine with a partial shutdown of the
federal government if that’s what it takes to get deeper cuts in
federal government spending. Scott explores the demographics behind the
shutdown debate in a new video.
Perhaps one explanation behind the strong support for spending cuts is
the continued belief among adults nationwide that government workers
have it easier than those in the private sector. Seventy percent (70%)
believe workers in the private sector work harder than government
workers.
Midterm elections and a change of power in the U.S. House of
Representatives also haven’t lowered the level of voter anger toward
current government policies and unhappiness with the leaders of the two
major political parties. 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.
In fact, the GOP election bounce appears to be over, with more American
Adults in March identifying themselves as Democrats than Republicans
for the first time since October. Republicans continue to lead on the
Generic Congressional Ballot as they have for nearly two years, but
that lead is down to four points, the smallest gap between the parties
since early October.
Legislators across the country, faced with special interests fighting
deep spending cuts, are casting around for new revenue sources since
they know property and income tax increases are politically impossible.
Rasmussen Reports decided to ask Americans about some of the new tax
ideas.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has suggested a mileage tax
for drivers as a way to pay for the Obama administration’s plans to
spend $556 billion over six years on transportation projects. But just
15% of American Adults favor a mileage tax. Americans currently pay
18.4 cents in federal taxes on a gallon of gas, and some members of
Congress have suggested raising the gas tax to pay for transportation
projects. Only 17% like that idea.
So-called “sin taxes” are another popular candidate, often in the name
of better public health. But Americans still aren’t buying. Fifty-nine
percent (59%) oppose “sin taxes” on soda and junk foods.
The most popular of the new taxes being discussed involves marijuana.
Forty-two percent (42%) of Americans say the federal government should
legalize and tax marijuana as a new revenue source, but 45% disagree.
Read the rest of the story with links at Rasmussen
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