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Rasmussen
Reports...
What They Told Us:
Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls
Saturday, January 15, 2011
It’s back to business for the new Congress this coming week following
the tragic shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the killing
of six others in Arizona. First up in the House is a vote to repeal the
national health care bill passed last year by Democrats in the previous
Congress.
Although that vote in the Republican-led House will be largely symbolic
for now given continuing Democratic control of the Senate and White
House, voter support for repeal of the health care law remains high, as
does belief that the measure is likely to be repealed.
One reason for that support is the view by 75% of voters that the
health care law is likely to cost more than official estimates. Some
supporters of the law say its repeal will drive up the federal budget
deficit, but most voters believe repeal will either reduce or have no
impact on government spending and the deficit.
There’s no question that voters want to see the health care law
changed, but there is substantial disagreement about how best to do it.
Overall, 75% of voters want to change the law: 20% who want the law
repealed and nothing done to replace it; 28% who want it repealed and
then have its most popular provisions put into a new law, and 27% who
say leave the law in place but get rid of the unpopular provisions.
Some have argued that the angry tone of the debate over health care and
other issues led to the shooting of Giffords last weekend. While
Americans have closely followed news stories about the incident, most
don’t feel politics was the cause of it. Fifty-eight percent
(58%) say it was a random act of violence by an unstable person.
In fact, voter concern that opponents of President Obama’s policies
will turn to violence has declined slightly over the past year.
Forty-five percent (45%) of voters are at least somewhat concerned that
those opposed to the president’s policies will resort to violence, but
52% do not share that concern. Those figures are similar to results
from the fall of 2009.
While some in Congress have proposed tougher gun control as a response
to the incident in Arizona, only 29% of Americans think stricter
anti-gun laws would help prevent shootings of that kind. Sixty-two
percent (62%) disagree and say stronger gun control would not make a
difference. Despite last Saturday’s tragedy, overall opposition to gun
control is at a new high.
Voters continue to believe the average Democrat in Congress is more
liberal than they are but remain more evenly divided over the ideology
of the average congressional Republican. Voters also still feel the GOP
agenda in Congress is less extreme than that of congressional
Democrats.
Republicans hold an 11-point lead over Democrats – 47% to 36% - on the
Generic Congressional Ballot.
Yet despite the GOP takeover of the House, 60% of all voters remain
convinced that no matter how bad things are, Congress can always find a
way to make them worse.
Obama’s overall job approval ratings show little change this past week
in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.
One big thing voters are looking to the president and Congress members
from both parties to fix is the continuing bad economy.
The number of Americans who expect a rise in interest rates has reached
its highest level in nearly two years. Fifty-seven percent (57%) now
predict interest rates will be higher one year from now.
And who says there’s no inflation? Most adults say they are paying more
for groceries now compared to a year ago, and the number who expect to
spend more a year from now is at its highest level in nearly two years.
The majority of Americans also continue to lack confidence in the
stability of the U.S. banking system, although they remain unworried
that they will lose their money due to a bank failure.
Still, at week’s end, the Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures the
economic confidence of consumers on a daily basis, was up 11 points
from a month ago. The Rasmussen Investor Index also reached its second
highest reading so far this year.
As the nation prepares to honor civil rights pioneer Martin Luther King
Jr. on Monday, Americans tend to think their fellow citizens talk too
much about race, but most agree that we have yet to achieve a level
playing field for all races in this country. Only 31% believe we’ve
reached the day King preached about when men and women of all races
have equal opportunity in America.
Rasmussen Reports Article
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