What Americans Think about Daily Life

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 70% of American Adults say they will decorate their home this holiday season, while 22% say they won’t. Seventy-four percent (74%) will have a Christmas tree this year. These findings are almost identical to last year. Fifty percent (50%) of Americans say they’d already started decorating their home for the holidays before November ended, while 49% had not gotten started on holiday decorations.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 55% of American Adults have started shopping for holiday gifts, while 38% have not. Twenty-four percent (24%) have already finished their holiday shopping, while 70% still have more gifts to buy. More women (63%) than men (47%) have begun shopping for holiday gifts. Americans under 40 are more likely than their elders to have already bought all their holiday gifts.

I'm all done! Amazon wish lists are great.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 64% of American Adults believe Christmas should be more about Jesus Christ than about Santa Claus – up from 57% last year. Only 16% put Santa first, while 21% are undecided. Support for Jesus as the primary reason for the holiday which celebrates his birth has ranged as high as 76% in 2012. Eighty-eight percent (88%) of adults celebrate Christmas in their family, slightly down from 90% last year. Of these Americans, 58% celebrate Christmas primarily as a religious holiday, while it’s chiefly a secular one for 30%. Twelve percent (12%) percent are not sure.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 53% of American Adults consider Christmas to be one of our nation's most important holidays, down from 60% last year. Eleven percent (11%) consider Christmas one of the least important holidays, while 31% place Christmas somewhere in between. Over the years, Christmas has consistently been rated the most important holiday by Americans, usually followed by the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Thanksgiving. This year, however, 55% rated Fourth of July among the most important holidays, edging out Christmas by two points.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that just three percent (3%) of American Adults rate 2023 one of the best years ever. Ten percent (10%) think it was an excellent year and 21% rate 2023 a good year. However, 37% of Americans give 2023 a poor rating. The 34% who rate 2023 at least a good year is slightly down from last year, when 37% said the same about 2022. Looking ahead, 44% of Americans expect next year to be at least a good year, including 10% who expect 2024 to be excellent and eight percent (8%) who think it will be one of the best years ever. Twenty-six percent (26%) believe 2024 will be a poor year.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 71% of American Adults expect to be at home at midnight when the New Year arrives, up from 67% last year. Eleven percent (11%) plan to welcome 2024 at a friend's house, while five percent (5%) say they’ll be at a restaurant or bar and seven percent (7%) will be somewhere else at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Forty-four percent (44%) will kiss someone at midnight to welcome the New Year, while 37% will not. Another 18% aren’t sure if they’ll get the traditional midnight kiss on New Year’s Eve.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 29% of American Adults say it’s likely that their next automobile purchase will be an electric car, including 10% who say it’s Very Likely. Sixty-five percent (65%) don’t think they’re likely to make an EV their next automobile purchase, including 37% who say it’s Not At All Likely. The number who expect to buy an EV is down from last April, when 40% said it was at least somewhat likely their next auto purchase would be an electric car. Last month, it was reported that “electric cars and trucks are piling up on dealer lots” because buyers continue to prefer gasoline-powered vehicles. Only 25% of Americans believe electric cars today are practical for most drivers – down from 34% last April – while 41% think EVs are not practical for most drivers and 33% are not sure.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 62% of American Adults say it’s likely they’ll watch Super Bowl LVIII, including 39% who say they’re Very Likely to watch the game that determines the National Football League championship. Thirty-nine percent (39%) of adults think the Chiefs will win Sunday, while 28% believe the 49ers will win, and 32% are not sure. Among the biggest NFL fans – those who say it’s Very Likely they’ll tune in for the Super Bowl – 50% expect Kansas City to win. Viewership for Chiefs games got a boost this year after Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce started dating the pop singer Swift, who is frequently shown on TV coverage cheering on her man. Fourteen percent (14%) of Americans say they’re more likely to watch the Super Bowl because of the Taylor-Travis romance, but 16% say it makes them less likely to watch. Sixty-eight percent (68%) say it doesn’t make much difference.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 62% of American Adults say what they’d like most for Valentine's Day is dinner with someone special. Just 13% would prefer chocolate candy and only nine percent (9%) would like flowers the most. Another 16% are not sure. Just nine percent (9%) of Americans think Valentine’s Day is one of the nation’s most important holidays while 52% say it’s one of the least important and 36% place it somewhere in between. Over the years, Americans have usually ranked Christmas as the most important holiday, usually followed by the Fourth of July, with Valentine’s Day trailing far behind near the bottom of the list.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 23% of American Adults say they have already filed their income taxes. Another 59% intend to file by the April 15 deadline, while four percent (4%) are planning on getting an extension. Thirteen percent (13%) say they are not sure. Thirty-three percent (33%) of Americans anticipate getting a refund, exactly the same as this time last year. Eighteen percent (18%) say they will owe the government money, while 27% expect to pretty much break even. Twenty-two percent (22%) are not sure.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 42% of American homeowners think the value of their home is likely to go up over the next year – just one point down from last July. Seventeen percent (17%) now say the value of their home is more likely to go down – up two points from July – while 33% expect their home’s value to remain about the same. Higher interest rates hurt housing sales last year, but prices have recovered as buyers adjust to higher mortgage rates and compete for a limited supply of homes. Confidence in rising home values is now 11 points below its all-time high of 53% in October 2017, but still well above the levels during President Barack Obama’s term. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of American Adults say they own their own home, while 30% say they’re not homeowners. Sixty-three percent (63%) of homeowners say their home is worth more than the amount they still owe on their mortgage, a finding that peaked at 69% in November 2018. Twenty-three percent (23%) now say they owe more than their home is worth – up one point from 22% in July – while another 13% are not sure.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 41% of American Adults say they have already filed their income taxes. Another 41% intend to file by the April 15 deadline, while four percent (4%) are planning on getting an extension. Fourteen percent (14%) say they are not sure. Thirty-six percent (36%) of Americans anticipate getting a refund, up from 33% this time last year. Twenty-three percent (23%) say they will owe the government money, while 21% expect to pretty much break even. Twenty percent (20%) are not sure.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that only 27% of American Adults think movies have gotten better in the past 20 years. Fifty-four percent (54%) don’t believe movies have gotten better during that span. Nineteen percent (19%) are not sure. That verdict comes amid brutal box-office news for major film studios, with Disney losing more than $100 million on its recent Indiana Jones sequel. The downward trend in entertainment quality is accelerating, most Americans say. Just 22% think movies have gotten better in the past 10 years, while 58% don’t think movies have gotten better over the last decade. Twenty percent (20%) are not sure.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 51% of American Adults say they have already filed their income taxes. Another 35% intend to file by the April 15 deadline, while six percent (6%) are planning on getting an extension. Eight percent (8%) say they are not sure. Thirty-six percent (36%) of Americans anticipate getting a refund from the IRS, while 26% say they will owe the government money. Twenty-nine percent (29%) expect to pretty much break even, but nine percent (9%) are not sure.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 25% of American Adults say they’re Protestant, 22% are Roman Catholic and 15% are some other religion. Just three percent (3%) say they’re Jewish and two percent (2% are Muslim, while nine percent (9%) are atheists, and 11% aren’t sure what their present religion is. Among all American Adults, 70% say religious faith is important in their daily lives, including 42% who consider faith Very Important. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say religion is not important to their daily lives, including 13% who consider it Not At All Important. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of evangelical Christians say their faith is Very Important in their daily lives, compared to 51% of Protestants, 49% of Catholics, 44% of Muslims and 25% of Jews who say the same.

 

[slavablueberryjam]

I feel like the US is good for glutonists, but bad for living. If that makes sense.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 79% of American Adults say they’re paying more for groceries now than a year ago, down from 85% in February 2023. Just 15% now say they aren’t paying more for groceries. Sixty percent (60%) say rising food prices have caused them to change their eating habits – up from 57% in February 2023 – while 35% have not changed how they eat because of inflation.