What Americans Think about Politics

[SMTA]

People care enough that there's almost 79 views per post. And oddly enough, you care enough to actually post here rather than simply ignoring the thread.

Nope.
I only cared enough to point out your solo thread failure.
Reality check time.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 73% of Likely U.S. Voters believe qualified American high school students should get a priority for admission over foreign students at American colleges and universities. Just 15% disagree and 13% are not sure. Trump last week proposed allowing visas for 600,000 Chinese students annually, more than double the current number. Forty-one percent (41%) support that idea, including 15% who Strongly Support it, but 46% are opposed, including 24% who Strongly Oppose allowing that many Chinese students into American colleges. Another 14% are not sure.

National unemployment was 8.2% in this month’s Rasmussen Reports Real Unemployment update, up slightly from 7.9% last month and significantly more than the 4.3% rate officially reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics today.

 

[Doug64]

A new national telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports and StoppingSocialism.com finds that 62% of Likely U.S. Voters ages 18 to 39 think the economy is unfair to young people. Only 27% disagree, while 11% are not sure. Fifty-five percent (55%) of under-40 voters say they’d support a law that would confiscate Americans’ excess wealth – including things like second homes, luxury cars, and private boats – in order to help young people buy a home for the first time. That includes 25% who would Strongly Support such legislation. Just 38% oppose confiscating “excess wealth.” While 24% of voters under 40 describe their current financial situation as “doing well,” 38% say they’re just “getting by.” Twenty-nine percent (29%) are “struggling,” and seven percent (7%) describe their current financial situation as “in crisis.”

Forty-four percent (44%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey for the week ending September 4, 2025. This week’s finding is down one point from a week ago. Fifty-two percent (52%) of voters believe the nation is headed down the wrong track, up two points from a week ago. A year ago at this time, 34% said the United States was heading in the right direction, while 61% said it was on the wrong track.

 

[Doug64]

A new national telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports and StoppingSocialism.com finds that 59% of Likely U.S. Voters ages 18 to 39 would support a law that imposes a maximum annual income cap for individuals. Seventeen percent (17%) would set the maximum at $100 million a year and 15% think the annual limit should be $10 million. Twelve percent (12%) favor capping the maximum income at $1 million a year, but eight percent (8%) say it should be $500,000, four percent (4%) say $200,000 and another four percent (4%) want to limit annual income to $100,000. Just 27% outright reject the idea of a maximum income cap, and 14% are not sure. In another example of how favorable younger voters are to radical ideas, 39% of voters under 40 think Americans who refuse to use others' preferred gender pronouns should face fines or legal penalties. That includes 17% who would impose fines for not using preferred pronouns, 16% who favor community service as punishment and six percent (6%) who think Americans should serve jail time for refusing to use preferred pronouns. However, nearly half (48%) of under-40 voters don’t think there should be legal penalties for failing to to use others' preferred gender pronouns, and 12% are not sure.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 64% of Likely U.S. Voters are concerned that electronic voting systems may allow votes to be changed remotely through internet connections during voting, including 37% who are Very Concerned. Thirty-one percent (31%) aren’t concerned about such vote-switching, including 13% who say they’re Not At All Concerned. Last month President Donald Trump called for requiring paper ballots instead of “inaccurate” electronic voting machines. Forty percent (40%) of voters would prefer to vote with a paper ballot, while 28% prefer voting machines and 29% say it does not make much difference.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 68% of American Adults believe racism is a serious problem in America today – up slightly from 66% in May 2024 – including 34% who say it’s a Very Serious problem. Twenty-eight percent (28%) think racism isn’t a serious problem in America. Forty percent (40%) believe Americans talk too much about race. Thirty-three percent (33%) say Americans don’t discuss race enough, while 17% view the level of discussion as about right. Ten percent (10%) are not sure.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 56% of Likely U.S. Voters consider it likely that side effects of COVID-19 vaccines have caused a significant number of unexplained deaths, including 32% who believe it’s Very Likely. Thirty-five percent (35% say it’s not likely there were significant deaths from COVID-19 vaccines, including 17% who think it’s Not At All Likely. These findings have changed little since September 2024. Secretary Kennedy, who faced tough questioning from senators last week, has been highly critical of how government health officials handled the COVID-19 pandemic. While 37% of voters believe Kennedy’s criticism is unfair, 50% say government health officials deserve criticism for how they handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Another 12% are not sure.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 71% of Likely U.S. Voters have heard about last month’s stabbing of 22-year-old Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s Lynx light rail system, and 61% have seen a photo or video of Zarutska and her alleged killer on the train. After surveillance video of the August 22 stabbing went viral online, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. would be charged under federal law with committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system, which can be punished by death. Sixty percent (60%) of voters say that if Brown is convicted of killing Zarutska, he should get the death penalty. Twenty percent (20%) disagree and another 20% are not sure.

Economic confidence decreased to 109.4 in this month’s Rasmussen Reports Economic Index, more than two points lower than August. The index has dropped more than six points since hitting a four-year high in July. Enthusiasm about the economy surged during President Donald Trump’s first term, reaching as high as 147.8 in January 2020 before tumbling after the coronavirus lockdown threw Americans out of work and closed many businesses. By November 2020, it had recovered to 126.4, but dropped sharply after President Joe Biden was elected. The index reached a low of 78.6 in July 2022.

Thirty-nine percent (39%) of American Adults rate the economy as excellent or good this month, down one point from last month. The number who rate the economy as poor was 34%, up three points from August. Thirty percent (30%) now think the economy is getting better, down one point from last month. Fifty-two percent (52%) expect a worsening economy, up two points from August. Fourteen percent (14%) now see things staying about the same, down one point from last month. Sixty-three percent (63%) of Republicans view the economy as good or excellent, compared to 27% of Democrats and 32% of those not affiliated with either major party. GOP confidence has increased 43 points since October 2024, when 20% of Republicans had a positive view of the economy, while Democrats’ confidence is now 32 points lower than it was in October 2024, when 59% of Democrats rated the economy good or excellent.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 62% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Donald Trump’s use of the military earlier this month against a drug-smuggling boat from Venezuela, including 42% who Strongly Approve of the strike. Thirty percent (30%) disapprove, including 15% who Strongly Disapprove. On September 2, Trump announced that U.S. military forces “conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua narcoterrorists” who “were at sea in international waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States.” The military strike is approved by 86% of Republicans, 39% of Democrats and 65% of voters not affiliated with either major party.

Forty-two percent (42%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey for the week ending September 11, 2025. This week’s finding is down two points from a week ago. Fifty-three percent (53%) of voters believe the nation is headed down the wrong track, up one point from a week ago. A year ago at this time, 35% said the United States was heading in the right direction, while 60% said it was on the wrong track.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 53% of Likely U.S. Voters rate Trump as doing a good or excellent job in terms of securing the border and preventing illegal immigration, while 31% give him a poor rating. In July, 45% gave Trump a good or excellent rating for his handling of immigration issues. Voters are about evenly divided on the question of legal immigration, with 29% saying the number of legal immigrants admitted to the country should be increased, while 30% think it should be decreased. Twenty-nine percent (29%) believe the current level of legal immigration is about right, and 12% are not sure.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 68% of American Adults believe it’s more important for companies to focus on providing quality goods and services, while 12% say increasing profit is more important. Another percent (12%) think it’s more important for companies to focus on promoting causes like diversity and environmentalism. These findings haven’t changed much since January 2023. The Cracker Barrel restaurant chain faced backlash last month when many customers believed a logo redesign signaled that the company was abandoning its family-friendly tradition. Eighty-three percent (83%) of American Adults say the quality of a company’s products and services is important in making consumer decisions, including 62% who consider it Very Important. Significantly fewer, 59% consider it important that a company shares their social and political values, including just 25% who think it’s Very Important.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 85% of Likely U.S. Voters believe it is likely there will be more political violence in the next few months, including 48% who say it’s Very Likely. Just seven percent (7%) don’t think more political violence is likely. In June, after two Minnesota lawmakers were shot by a gunman, 78% thought more political violence was likely. After a gunman killed Kirk during a university campus event in Utah, President Donald Trump said: “It’s long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible.” Eighty-six percent (86%) of voters agree with that statement, including 58% who Strongly Agree. Only eight percent (8%) disagree.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 31% of Likely U.S. Voters believe it is likely that there will soon be a peace deal to end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Only nine percent (9%) think a Gaza peace deal is Very Likely, while 59% consider it unlikely, including 24 who say it’s Not At All Likely. Eleven percent (11%) are not sure. On September 9, Israel’s air force struck in Qatar to kill senior leaders of the Hamas terrorist group. Forty-six percent (46%) approve of Israel striking Hamas leaders in Qatar, including 27% who Strongly Approve. Thirty-nine percent (39%) disapprove of the Israeli strike in Qatar, including 24% who Strongly Disapprove. Fourteen percent (14%) are not sure.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that only 19% of American Adults now think schools and teachers should be allowed to counsel students on their sexual and gender identities without parental knowledge or consent, while 69% are opposed to such policies, and 13% are not sure. Opposition to such counseling increased slightly since we last asked this question in June 2024. Sixty-nine percent (69%) agree with the statement that “there are two genders, male and female,” including 55% who Strongly Agree. Twenty-three percent (23%) disagree, including 12% who Strongly Disagree. These findings have barely changed since June 2024.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 51% of Likely U.S. Voters believe Trump’s strategy of using National Guard troops to help the District of Columbia reduce violent crime has been successful, including 32% who say it’s been Very Successful. Thirty-six percent (36%) don’t think Trump’s strategy has been successful in reducing crime in Washington, D.C., including 17% who consider it Not At All Successful. Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure. Touting the success of the D.C. intervention, Trump has recently ordered a similar effort in Memphis, Tennessee. Fifty-two percent (52%) of voters would support the president sending National Guard troops to other cities around the country to help reduce violent crime, including 36% who Strongly Support it. Forty-three percent (43%) would oppose such deployments, including 33% who Strongly Oppose it.

 

[Doug64]

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 21% of Likely U.S. voters believe the economy is Very Fair, generally speaking. Twenty-six percent (26%) think the economy is Somewhat Fair, another 28% say the economy is Not Very Fair and 22% view the economy as Not At All Fair. With 47% now saying the economy is at least somewhat, this is a marked improvement over the 36% who said the same in September 2023. Fifty-three percent (53%) now see the economy as at least somewhat fair to women – up from 41% in September 2023 – and similarly, 48% view the economy as fair to blacks and Hispanics, eight points higher than September 2023.

Forty-two percent (42%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey for the week ending September 18, 2025. This week’s finding is down two points from a week ago. Fifty-two percent (52%) of voters believe the nation is headed down the wrong track, the same as a week ago. A year ago at this time, 35% said the United States was heading in the right direction, while 59% said it was on the wrong track.

 

[Doug64]

A new national telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports and the Capitol Resource Institute (CRI) finds that 87% of Likely U.S. voters think it is important that public schools fully inform parents about what is being taught to their children in classrooms, including 62% who say it is Very Important. Just 11% disagree. These findings have barely changed since October 2022. Seventy percent (70%) of voters are concerned that school-age children are being exposed to sexual material that is not age appropriate, including 50% who are Very Concerned. Only 27% are not concerned about children being exposed to inappropriate sexual material.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 60% of Likely U.S. voters believe domestic terrorism is a greater threat to the United States, compared to 24% who think foreign terrorism is the greater threat. Sixteen percent (16%) are not sure. The number seeing a greater threat from domestic terrorism has risen from 51% in December 2024. In terms of domestic terrorism, 43% say extreme right-wing terrorism is the greater threat, while 39% believe extreme left-wing terrorism is the greater threat, and 18% are not sure.