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What Americans Think about Politics

Doug64

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For years on another site, I've been posting a weekly recap of the Rasmussen polls that the company has sent out emails about, along with some of the crosstabs if anyone expresses an interest--said crosstabs available due to the premium membership that reporters have to have to get access so they can use the crosstabs in their own news articles/opinion columns. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there's any one section of this site generic enough for the full range of topics Rasmussen polls on (right down to how important people think the current big holiday is), so I'll have to break them up among the different sections. But that just means I'll be able to post daily instead of a weekly "newsletter"!

So yesterday's Rasmussen poll, what US Likely Voters think of their own state adopting a similar school law to Florida's, and on boycotting Florida because of it. The relevant portion of the law reads “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.” The law's opponents have taken to calling it the "don't say gay" law, while its supporters have labeled it the "anti-grooming" law.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 62% of Likely U.S. Voters would support a law like Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill in their own state, including 45% who Strongly Support the measure. Twenty-nine percent (29%) would oppose a similar law in their own state, including 19% who Strongly Oppose it. Seventy-four percent (74%) of Republicans, 49% of Democrats and 66% of voters not affiliated with either major party would support a law like Florida’s in their own state. Critics have called for boycotting Florida over the new law, but most voters reject that idea. Fifty-one percent (51%) oppose boycotting Florida over the new school law, including 41% who Strongly Oppose a boycott. Thirty-nine percent (39%) support boycotting Florida, including 22% who Strongly Support a boycott. Another 10% are not sure.
 
If the public hears the strongest message from one side, and little if anything from the other, they will most likely roll with the one side. Dems are proving this by being relatively silent to the strong words from the Trump/Rep/con side. Cowards.
 
If the public hears the strongest message from one side, and little if anything from the other, they will most likely roll with the one side. Dems are proving this by being relatively silent to the strong words from the Trump/Rep/con side. Cowards.
Democrats are terrible at messaging.

It's the main reason I'm not registered as one.
 
If the public hears the strongest message from one side, and little if anything from the other, they will most likely roll with the one side. Dems are proving this by being relatively silent to the strong words from the Trump/Rep/con side. Cowards.

Alternatively, politicians might stay relatively quiet on an issue because the majority already holds a strong opinion that clashes with their own—or with that of their core supporters, they may not have their own opinion … politicians, you know.
 
For years on another site, I've been posting a weekly recap of the Rasmussen polls that the company has sent out emails about, along with some of the crosstabs if anyone expresses an interest--said crosstabs available due to the premium membership that reporters have to have to get access so they can use the crosstabs in their own news articles/opinion columns. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there's any one section of this site generic enough for the full range of topics Rasmussen polls on (right down to how important people think the current big holiday is), so I'll have to break them up among the different sections. But that just means I'll be able to post daily instead of a weekly "newsletter"!

So yesterday's Rasmussen poll, what US Likely Voters think of their own state adopting a similar school law to Florida's, and on boycotting Florida because of it. The relevant portion of the law reads “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.” The law's opponents have taken to calling it the "don't say gay" law, while its supporters have labeled it the "anti-grooming" law.
I don't follow polls, except to see the sampling numbers for party affiliation. With most polls that present those numbers, I find that they consistently grossly over sample Democrats, sometimes mildly over sample Republican and ALWAYS grossly under sample Independents. The benchmark I use to determine this is the data from the Gallup Party Affiliation website. https://news.gallup.com/poll/15370/party-affiliation.aspx But I've never been able to get the numbers for Rasmussen polls because I won't spend the money on their premium membership.

Your access to this data is very welcome.

Let's look at the numbers for this poll...

1647618896922.png

And here is the latest numbers from Gallup...

1647618958118.png

So...Rasmussen, in this poll, over sampled Democrats by 6 points, over sampled Republicans by 7 points and under sampled Independents (they call them "Other") by 10 points. It will be interesting to see their numbers for other polls...especially ones concerning approval ratings of politicians and such.

Thank you, Doug64, for your information. (y)
 
The benchmark I use to determine this is the data from the Gallup Party Affiliation website. https://news.gallup.com/poll/15370/party-affiliation.aspx But I've never been able to get the numbers for Rasmussen polls because I won't spend the money on their premium membership.

Your access to this data is very welcome….

Thank you, Doug64, for your information.

Happy to help out. Though I’m not so sure about using Gallup as your benchmark, their performance in the last few presidential elections they polled (before they stopped) was abysmal. Though FiveThirtyEight does give them a B+ to Rasmussen’s B....
 
Happy to help out. Though I’m not so sure about using Gallup as your benchmark, their performance in the last few presidential elections they polled (before they stopped) was abysmal. Though FiveThirtyEight does give them a B+ to Rasmussen’s B....
This is nothing more than a survey of party affiliation. Nothing like an opinion poll that can be affected by biased sampling.

But I will say that, from my experience, Gallup opinion polls stay true to their own party affiliation numbers. The fact is, they have been presenting party affiliation numbers for years and they are considered the gold standard.

btw, 538 has their own bias problems.
 
I did because I wanted to vote in primaries 😔

That's my only reason. Unfortunately, the Dems are primarying the voters by deciding whom the candidates will be. The RW voters turned that around and now primary sitting officials they don't like to bring in a candidate for the general election they do like, unless the sitting officials change to play the voters' tune. Which is what is most often happening. They want to keep their jobs.
 
Another contentious issue—and one where I personally disagree with the majority—deals with immigration and refugees. When it comes to Ukraine, though, passions are running high at the moment and that does make a difference:

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 76% of Likely U.S. Voters support Biden’s “open arms” welcome to refugees from war-torn Ukraine, including 45% who Strongly Support it. Only 19% are opposed to welcoming Ukrainian refugees to America.... Eighty-two percent (82%) of voters support granting temporary protected status to Ukrainian nationals, including 51% who Strongly Support the policy. Only 14% are opposed.

The question of how many Ukrainian refugees should be granted permanent U.S. residency shows less consensus, however, Seventeen percent (17%) of voters say less than 10,000 should get permanent residency, while 16% believe the number should be between 10,000 and 50,000. Eleven percent (11%) think 50,000 to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees should get permanent U.S. residency, while 25% say more than 100,000. Nearly a third (31%) are not sure.
 
Democrats are terrible at messaging.

It's the main reason I'm not registered as one.

There is a great deal of truth in that, and I blame it on inner-party jockeying for position on what message is given.
 
Another contentious issue—and one where I personally disagree with the majority—deals with immigration and refugees. When it comes to Ukraine, though, passions are running high at the moment and that does make a difference:

The US naturalized 834,000 new citizens in FY 2019 and granted lawful permanent residence to nearly 577,000 individuals and in FY 2019. It could very well be that temporary residency would see most return to Ukraine by their own choice once the war is over. We turned back Jews during WW2 and determined later that was the wrong thing to do. If we don't allow Ukrainian refugees in, we're repeating history, and not learning from our own mistake.
 
If the public hears the strongest message from one side, and little if anything from the other, they will most likely roll with the one side. Dems are proving this by being relatively silent to the strong words from the Trump/Rep/con side. Cowards.
Most people curious about politics will rely on just a couple of news sources mainly due to what their lives are urging them to do like work, spouse, kids, and recreational activities. Even if people had more time to spend following politics, they (in general) won't take the time to visit different news channels like PBS, ABC, CBS, FoxNew (just certain shows), and subscribe to the NY Times and Wall St Journal. That takes money and time. My wife and I have the luxury of being able to do that.
I will never understand how people can be so adamant about a political news topic while only getting their opinions from a half-hour nightly news show that will never give you the full story on anything.
 
The US naturalized 834,000 new citizens in FY 2019 and granted lawful permanent residence to nearly 577,000 individuals and in FY 2019. It could very well be that temporary residency would see most return to Ukraine by their own choice once the war is over. We turned back Jews during WW2 and determined later that was the wrong thing to do. If we don't allow Ukrainian refugees in, we're repeating history, and not learning from our own mistake.

I can't disagree with any of that, and from the poll I posted neither can most Americans, at least as nonimmigrants--actual immigrants, not so much. It's always easier to expound on the need to limit the number of refugees, when those refugees don't have faces and stories showing up on your evening news. Especially when they clearly are refugees, not economic migrants trying to make a better claim for legal status.
 
It's Monday, so today we have the weekly Right Track / Wrong Track poll:

Twenty-nine percent (29%) 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 March 17, 2022. This week’s finding remains the same as a week ago. Sixty-five percent (65%) of voters believe the nation is headed down the wrong track, also remaining the same from a week ago. A year ago at this time, 41% said the United States was heading in the right direction, while 54% said it was on the wrong track.

And for today's non-weekly poll, what percentage of Likely Voters think the Biden administration's policies have made inflation worse? The numbers for those that think the issue is going to be important come Election Day doesn't look good for the administration, either.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 64% of Likely U.S. Voters believe the policies of Biden’s administration have increased inflation, while only eight percent (8%) think Biden’s policies have reduced inflation. Another 25% say the Biden administration’s policies have not made much difference in inflation. Inflation reached an annual rate of 7.9% in February, the highest in 40 years, and some analysts expect prices will continue to rise, driven in large part by soaring energy costs. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of voters believe the issue of inflation will be important in this year's congressional elections, including 64% who say the issue will be Very Important. Only 10% don’t think inflation will be an important issue in November.
 
So with gas prices soaring, the voices calling for the Biden administration to abandon its efforts to limit domestic gas production have been getting louder, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had a Marie Antoinette moment, when he said to let them eat cake--I mean, let them buy electric. Unfortunately for the Biden administration, most Americans don't think that's feasible.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that only 32% of American Adults believe electric cars today are practical for most drivers. Fifty-two percent (52%) think electric cars aren’t practical, while 16% say they’re not sure. Those findings are little changed from October. Thirty-eight percent (38%) say it’s at least somewhat likely their next automobile purchase will be an electric car, up from 28% in October, but 54% don’t think it’s likely their next automobile will be an electric car. While 35% say the recent increase in gasoline prices has made them more interested in buying an electric car, 56% say higher gas prices haven’t made a difference in their interest. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans believe it’s likely most cars will still run primarily on gasoline a decade from now, including 33% who say it’s Very Likely gasoline-powered automobiles will still be the norm in 10 years.

Also, here's the latest of Rasmussen's biweekly Immigration Index. They started this back in December 2019, when they used a 10-question survey on immigration/illegal emigration to create a baseline score of 100, and now poll the same 10 questions to compare to their baseline--a higher score means more support for immigration/illegal emigration, lower for less support.

The Rasmussen Reports Immigration Index for the week of March 13-17, 2022, increased to 96.0, up four points from 92.0 two weeks earlier. The Immigration Index has been under the baseline in every survey since Election Day last year, and reached a record low of 82.3 in late March 2021. The index is now more than nine points below where it was in late October 2020, indicating voters are looking for tighter immigration control from President Joe Biden’s administration.
 
And for for today's polls, we get a look at the issue that helped give us a Republican governor of Virginia, of all states, with more bad news for Democrats:

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 58% of Likely U.S. Voters believe the quality of public schools in America is getting worse, while just 13% think schools are getting better. Twenty-five percent (25%) say the quality of public schools is staying about the same. Eighty-four percent (84%) believe the issue of education will be important in this year’s congressional elections, including 53% who say the issue will be Very Important. Only 13% don’t think education will be an important issue in the November midterm elections. Forty-three percent (43%) of voters trust Republicans more to deal with education issues while 36% trust Democrats more. Eighteen percent (18%) believe the two parties are about the same in dealing with education issues.

And of course we find out that American Adults don't care for the IRS (like that's a surprise to anyone):

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 41% of American Adults have a favorable impression of the IRS, including nine percent (9%) who have a Very Favorable view of the federal tax agency. That’s down from 2018, when 45% viewed the IRS favorably. Forty-four percent (44%) now view the IRS unfavorably, up from 42% four years ago. Another 14% are undecided. Thirty-seven percent (37%) trust the IRS to fairly enforce tax laws – down from 42% in 2018 – while 40% don’t trust the IRS, up from 37% four years ago. Another 23% are not sure. Twenty-seven percent (27%) are concerned that the IRS will audit their taxes, including nine percent (9%) who are Very Concerned about an IRS audit. Worries about being audited by the IRS are up since 2018, when 14% were concerned, including five percent (5%) who were Very Concerned that the IRS would audit their taxes.
 
And for today's poll, we look at what people think about the Hunter laptop story that the MSM(D) and Big Tech first lied about so they could suppress it in their bid to elect Biden, and now are trying to ignore as much as possible now that it's clear they lied.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 66% of Likely U.S. Voters believe the story about Hunter Biden’s laptop containing emails about his business dealings is important, including 48% who think the story is Very Important. Thirty-one percent (31%) don’t believe the story is important, including 15% who say it’s Not At All important. The New York Times last week admitted the authenticity of the emails found on a laptop that the president’s son abandoned in a Delaware computer repair shop. Sixty-five percent (65%) of voters believe it’s likely – including 48% who think it’s Very Likely – that Joe Biden was consulted about and perhaps profited from his son Hunter's overseas business deals including at least one involving a company in mainland China. Only 28% believe it’s unlikely Biden was consulted about his son’s foreign business dealings. Forty-eight percent (48%) say if the media had fully reported the story about Hunter Biden’s laptop before the 2020 election, it’s unlikely Joe Biden would have been elected president. Forty-five percent (45%) don’t think the story would have changed the election results.
 
And for for today's polls, we get a look at the issue that helped give us a Republican governor of Virginia, of all states, with more bad news for Democrats:
And of course we find out that American Adults don't care for the IRS (like that's a surprise to anyone):
1648364631208.png
 

Are you applying that to the teachers telling white students that they are oppressors because they are white and minority students that they are oppressed because they aren't; and the politicians supporting those teacher; or to the parents opposing them, and the politicians supporting those parents? There's some bad news for the proponents of CRT, most Likely US Voters aren't buying it:

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 60% of Likely U.S. Voters believe American society is generally fair and decent. Twenty-nine percent (29%) disagree, saying America is basically unfair and discriminatory, while 11% say they are not sure. Those findings are an improvement from January 2021, when 54% said America was fair and decent. Sixty percent (60%) of voters believe that when people move to America from other parts of the world, they should adopt America's culture, language and heritage. Twenty-six percent (26%) think newcomers should instead try to maintain the culture, language and heritage of their own country, while another 14% are not sure. Those findings have changed little since November 2019. Belief that American society is basically fair and decent peaked at 74% in early 2010, while belief that newcomers should adopt America’s culture reached as high as 82% in early 2008.

And also this Friday, we have Likely Voters' views of Jackson joining the Supreme Court, in which 10% are wildly optimistic:

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 79% of Likely U.S. Voters believe Jackson will be confirmed as a Supreme Court justice, including 45% who think her confirmation by the Senate is Very Likely. Ten percent (10%) don’t think it’s likely the Senate will confirm Jackson to the court, while another 11% are not sure. Voters were asked whether Jackson’s confirmation was likely regardless of their own opinion of whether President Joe Biden’s nominee should be confirmed to the Supreme Court. There is more division on the question of whether the Senate should confirm Jackson, with 44% favoring her confirmation and 37% against. Eighteen percent (18%) are not sure if the Senate should confirm Jackson to the court. Forty-three percent (43%) of voters have a favorable impression of Jackson, including 28% who have a Very Favorable view of her. Thirty-eight percent (38%) view Jackson unfavorably, including 23% who have a Very Unfavorable impression of her. Another 19% are not sure.
 
Are you applying that to the teachers telling white students that they are oppressors because they are white and minority students that they are oppressed because they aren't; and the politicians supporting those teacher; or to the parents opposing them, and the politicians supporting those parents? There's some bad news for the proponents of CRT, most Likely US Voters aren't buying it:

And also this Friday, we have Likely Voters' views of Jackson joining the Supreme Court, in which 10% are wildly optimistic:
Wow, @Doug64, that sounds like some really good news for us Conservatives... We may need to send that uppity Jackson gal and her ilk back to the cotton fields... Whata you say???
-peace

As verbs the difference between imply and apply is that imply is (of a proposition) to have as a necessary consequence while apply is to lay or place; to put or adjust (one thing to another);—with to; as, to apply the hand to the breast; to apply medicaments to a diseased part of the body.

1648366577664.png
 
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Wow, @Doug64, that sounds like some really good news for us Conservatives... We may need to send that uppity Jackson gal and her ilk back to the cotton fields... Whata you say???
-peace

As opposed to sending the parents to “remedial education” camps?

As verbs the difference between imply and apply is that imply is (of a proposition) to have as a necessary consequence while apply is to lay or place; to put or adjust (one thing to another);—with to; as, to apply the hand to the breast; to apply medicaments to a diseased part of the body.

No, “apply” was the word I meant to use—as in, ”which group did you intend for your meme to apply to?” As for Jackson’s Harvard Law degree, apparently it has made her so that she can’t define what a “woman” is. Poor woman (which is what she is, even if she doesn’t know that), she’s gotten so educated that she’s lost all common sense.
 
So the usual Monday Right Track/Wrong Track:

Thirty-two percent (32%) 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 March 24, 2022. This week’s finding is up three points from a week ago. Sixty-three percent (63%) of voters believe the nation is headed down the wrong track, down two points from a week ago. A year ago at this time, 37% said the United States was heading in the right direction, while 57% said it was on the wrong track.

And a rarity, Independents agree more with Democrats than Republicans on something! (Yes, the usual pattern is Democrats leaning one way, Republican leaning the other, and Independents somewhere in the middle but leaning more toward the Republicans than Democrats.)

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters believe the United States is not doing enough to help Ukraine fight the Russian invasion, while 15% think the U.S. is doing too much. Thirty-three percent (33%) say the amount of U.S. support to Ukraine is about right. Fifty percent (50%) agree, including 29% who Strongly Agree, with historian Niall Ferguson’s warning last week: “The Biden administration is making a colossal mistake in thinking that it can protract the war in Ukraine, bleed Russia dry, topple Putin and signal to China to keep its hands off Taiwan.” Thirty-five percent (35%) disagree with Ferguson’s statement, including 22% who Strongly Disagree. Another 16% are not sure. More Republicans (57%) than Democrats (47%) or voters not affiliated with either major party (45%) agree with the warning about the Biden administration’s “colossal mistake” of protracting the Ukraine war.
 
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