Reported By Mike Zaman

Republished with permission of Rasmussen Reports
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/indexes/rasmussen_consumer_index/rasmussen_consumer_index

Sunday, August 01, 2010

The Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures the economic confidence of consumers on a daily basis, inched up slightly on Sunday to 79. Confidence is up just a point from a week ago and up two points from a month ago.

The Rasmussen Investor Index, which measures the economic confidence of investors on a daily basis, gained three points today. At 87.8, confidence is up a point from last week and up three points from last month.

Aside from an uptick in optimism in April, consumer and investor confidence has returned to levels found in the beginning of the year.

Among adults nationwide, just 10% rate the U.S. economy as good or excellent while 53% rate it as poor. At the same time, just 30% say the economy is getting better these days. Fifty percent (50%) say economic conditions in the country are getting worse.

Among investors, 12% give the economy positive ratings and roughly half (48%) give it poor marks. Thirty-six percent (36%) of investors say the economy is improving, while 46% feel it is getting worse.

The Rasmussen Consumer Index and Investor Indexes are derived from nightly telephone surveys of 500 adults and reported on a three-day rolling average basis. The baseline for the Index was established at 100.0 in October 2001. Readings above 100.0 indicate that confidence is higher than in the baseline month.

The Rasmussen Consumer Index reached its highest level ever at 127.0 on January 6, 2004. The all-time low was reached on March 10, 2009 at 54.7.

The Rasmussen Investor Index reached its highest level ever at 150.9 on January 7, 2004. The lowest level ever measured was 52.5 on March 9, 2009.

The baseline for the Rasmussen Consumer Index was established at 100.0 in October 2001. At 79.0, overall levels of economic confidence are significantly lower today than they were in the aftermath of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
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Rasmussen Reports is an electronic media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion polling information. We poll on a variety of topics in the fields of politics, business and lifestyle, updating our site’s content on a news cycle throughout the day, everyday. Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.

The Views and Opinions Expressed by the author are his or her opinions only and do not necessarily reflect those of this Web-Site or its agents, affiliates, officers, directors, staff, or contractors. The author at the time of this article did not own any shares or receive any consideration financial or otherwise from any company or person mentioned or referred to in the article.

Reported By Mike Zaman

Republished with permission of Rasmussen Reports
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_state_surveys/alabama/65_in_alabama_support_offshore_oil_drilling_59_favor_deepwater_drilling

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Though the Alabama coast was directly affected by the massive oil leak in Gulf of Mexico, voters in the state still strongly support offshore and deepwater oil drilling.

A new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey shows that 65% of Likely Voters in Alabama believe offshore oil drilling should be allowed. Only 14% oppose offshore drilling, while 21% more are not sure.

Support for offshore drilling is higher in Alabama than it is on the national level, despite the fact that Governor Bob Riley declared a statewide emergency just after the rig explosion occurred.

Fifty-nine percent (59%) in Alabama support deepwater oil drilling, which is also higher than the national average. One-in-five voters (21%) are against this type of oil drilling, and another 20% are undecided.

Alabama does not depend as heavily on oil industry jobs as Gulf Coast neighbors like Louisiana and Texas but does a sizable amount of business through the port of Mobile. BP is now hiring thousands of unemployed people in these states to help with the cleanup.

The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Alabama was conducted on July 22, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

Like his fellow governors in Louisiana and Mississippi, Riley’s approval numbers have gotten slightly higher since the leak began. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters have approved of the Republican governor’s performance in three surveys conducted since May. In March, 51% approved of his job performance.

Republican State Representative Robert Bentley holds a 20-point lead over Democratic nominee Ron Sparks in the state’s race to replace Riley in November.

Men in Alabama are more supportive than women of offshore and deepwater oil drilling.

While Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major party strongly favor drilling, Democrats are evenly divided on the issue.

Offshore drilling receives even stronger support in Texas (70%), Louisiana (79%) and Mississippi (76%) despite how the leak has affected their shorelines. The tourism industry has been hard hit in all Gulf Coast states.

Support for offshore drilling in Florida (48%) is 48%, below the national average, but it’s a state heavily dependent on the tourism industry.
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Rasmussen Reports is an electronic media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion polling information. We poll on a variety of topics in the fields of politics, business and lifestyle, updating our site’s content on a news cycle throughout the day, everyday. Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.

The Views and Opinions Expressed by the author are his or her opinions only and do not necessarily reflect those of this Web-Site or its agents, affiliates, officers, directors, staff, or contractors. The author at the time of this article did not own any shares or receive any consideration financial or otherwise from any company or person mentioned or referred to in the article.

A Commentary By Michael Barone

Republished with permission of Rasmussen Reports
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_michael_barone/house_democrats_head_for_a_thumping_at_the_polls

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Democratic spin doctors have set out how their side is going to hold onto a majority in the House. They’ll capture four at-risk Republican seats, hold half of the next 30 or so Democratic at-risk seats, and avoid significant losses on target seats lower on the list.

That’s one plausible scenario. The shift of opinion away from Democrats so evident in the polls could turn out to be illusory. The widely held assumption that Republicans will turn out in greater numbers than Democrats could prove wrong.

Democratic candidates do indeed have a money advantage in many close races, and their campaign committee has more cash than its Republican counterpart.

All that said, this Democratic spin sounds a lot like the Republican spin back in the 2006 cycle. If the numbers don’t change too much from 2004, Republicans said then, we can hold on. If the numbers don’t change too much from 2008, Democrats think now, they can hold on.

But the Republicans, as George W. Bush said, took “a thumping” in 2006. And most signs suggest Democrats will take a thumping this year, too.

To see why, take a look at the generic ballot question: Which party’s candidate will you vote for in elections to the House? The current realclearpolitics.com average shows Republicans ahead by 45 percent to 41 percent. Ten of this month’s 15 opinion polls asking the question had Republicans ahead; Democrats led in four (twice by 1 percent), and one poll showed a tie.

Keep in mind that the generic ballot question historically has tended to under-predict Republican performance in off-year elections. Gallup has been asking the question since 1950 and has shown Republicans leading only in two cycles, 1994 and 2002, and then by less than the 7 and 5 points by which they won the popular vote for the House in those years.

So the Republicans’ current lead in the generic ballot question suggests they may be on the brink of doing better than in any election since 1946, when they won a 245-188 margin in the House — larger than any they’ve held ever since.

Another metric is daunting for Democrats. Polls in House races almost always show incumbents ahead of challengers, because incumbent members of Congress are usually much better known than their opponents. An incumbent running below 50 percent is considered potentially in trouble; an incumbent running behind a challenger is considered in deep doo-doo.

In 1994, I wrote an article in U.S. News & World Report arguing that there was a serious chance that Republicans could capture the 40 seats that they needed then, as now, for a majority in the House. It was the first mainstream media piece suggesting that, and it appeared on the newsstands on July 11.

I cited as evidence five polls showing incumbent Democratic congressmen trailing Republican challengers. None of those Democrats had scandal problems; all five lost in November.
Today, a lot more Democratic incumbents seem to be trailing Republican challengers in polls. Jim Geraghty of National Review Online has compiled a list of 13 Democratic incumbents trailing in polls released over the last seven weeks.

They’re from all over the country: one each from Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota; two from Virginia; three from Pennsylvania. Most if not all of these incumbents are personally attractive, hardworking and ethically unsullied.

Some of these poll numbers are mind-boggling. Tom Perriello, a 727-vote winner in Virginia 5 in 2008, has been running two weeks of humorous ads showing what a hard worker he is. A poll shows him trailing Republican state Sen. Robert Hurt 58 percent to 35 percent.
In industrial Ohio 13, which Barack Obama carried 57 to 42, a poll shows incumbent Betty Sutton trailing free-spending Republican Tom Ganley 44 percent to 31 percent.

As Geraghty notes, we haven’t seen polls released by many other Democrats on Republican target lists. Most are conducting polls; many have reason to release favorable results if they’re available.

This looks like a case where the absence of evidence is evidence of absence.

Two years ago, Barack Obama was elected president with a historic 53 percent of the vote — more than any other Democrat in history except Andrew Jackson, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson.
These metrics — the generic ballot results and polls in individual districts — suggest that House Democrats are headed toward historic losses. Quite a swing in 18 months.

Michael Barone is senior political analyst for The Washington Examiner.
COPYRIGHT 2010 THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.

Rasmussen Reports is an electronic media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion polling information. Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.

The Views and Opinions Expressed by the author are his or her opinions only and do not necessarily reflect those of this Web-Site or its agents, affiliates, officers, directors, staff, or contractors. The author at the time of this article did not own any shares or receive any consideration financial or otherwise from any company or person mentioned or referred to in the article.

Republished with permission of Rasmussen Reports
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/july_2010/adults_see_alcohol_cigarettes_riskier_than_marijuana

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Americans view alcohol and cigarettes as more dangerous than marijuana.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that just 17% of Adults rate use of marijuana as riskier than drinking alcohol. Fifty percent (50%) say alcohol is more dangerous, while 26% rate the two as equally risky.

These findings are consistent with a survey last August.

Even a majority of adults who drink alcohol rate it as more dangerous than marijuana. Those who never drink alcohol are more closely divided.

Similarly, 46% say smoking cigarettes is more dangerous than smoking pot. Twenty-four percent (24%) disagree and say marijuana use is more dangerous. One-in-four (25%) view the two as equally dangerous.

Twenty-six percent (26%) of adults say smoking cigarettes should be outlawed, while 42% think marijuana should remain an illegal drug.

Americans are evenly divided over whether marijuana should be legalized in the United States, but most expect legalization to happen within the next decade.

The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on July 21-22, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Men feel more strongly than women that both alcohol and cigarettes are more dangerous than marijuana. Adults across all age groups share that belief, although younger Americans believe it even more strongly.

When it comes to alcohol, twenty percent (20%) of Americans drink several times a week, including nine percent (9%) who drink every day or nearly every day. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say they never drink.

Forty percent (40%) of Adults say they have smoked marijuana at some point in their lives. Eleven percent (11%) say they’ve smoked it in the past year. Those ages 18 to 29 are much more likely to have smoked marijuana in the past year than their elders.

Men drink more heavily than women. Twice as many married adults say they drink every day than unmarried adults, but unmarrieds are more than twice as likely as marrieds to have smoked pot in the past year. Those who say they’ve smoked marijuana drink more than those who have not tried pot.
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Rasmussen Reports is an electronic media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion polling information. Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.

Disclaimer:
The Views and Opinions Expressed by the author are his or her opinions only and do not necessarily reflect those of Crown Equity Holdings or its agents, affiliates, officers, directors, staff, or contractors. The author at the time of this article did not own any shares or receive any consideration financial or otherwise from any company mentioned or referred to in the article.

Republished with permission of Rasmussen Reports
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/general_business/july_2010/42_say_no_jobs_available_in_america_42_disagree

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Americans are now evenly divided over whether anyone who wants to work can find a job in the United States.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 42% believe it’s still possible to find work in America, but that’s down 10 points from 52% the month President Obama took office. Forty-two percent (42%) say it’s no longer possible for those who want to work to find employment. Another 16% aren’t sure.

Over half of Adults (53%) continue to believe it is no longer possible to work hard and get rich in the United States. That view remains largely unchanged since Obama became president in January of last year. Thirty percent (30%) say it is possible to work hard and get rich, but another 17% are not sure.

Despite the Obama administration’s insistence that the economy is improving slightly, Americans are less confident than they were 18 months ago that it is possible for anyone to work their way out of poverty in the United States. Forty-eight percent (48%) say that’s still true, but 56% felt that way in March 2009. Thirty-two percent (32%) say it is no longer possible. One-in-five voters (20%) aren’t sure.

Americans’ confidence in the short-term economy has slipped this month to its lowest level in well over a year. Just 35% believe the economy will be stronger in one year’s time. Forty-five percent (45%) believe the economy will be weaker one year from now.

Thirty-four percent (34%) believe unemployment will be even higher a year from now.

The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on July 23-24, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Only 19% of Americans say today’s children will be better off than their parents, a figure that also has been trending down since January 2009. Fifty-nine percent (59%) disagree, and 23% are not sure.

Republicans are more optimistic about the possibility of finding a job than are Democrats and adults not affiliated with either major political party.

Married adults and adults with children at home are slightly more upbeat than unmarried adults and adults with no children living with them.

Men are more likely to believe than women that it’s still possible to work hard and get rich. African-Americans are more positive about this than whites and voters of other ethnicities.

Entrepreneurs are much more likely to think it’s still possible to get rich than workers in any other sector. Investors believe this more than non-investors.

Adults who are married and those who have children in their home are more confident that it’s possible to work one’s way out of poverty than unmarried adults and adults who do not have children living with them.

Adults with children at home are also slightly more optimistic about their future than adults who do not have children at home.

Forty-seven percent (47%) of voters still blame today’s economic problems on the recession that began during the presidency of George W. Bush, but 45% say they’re due to Obama’s policies.

The economy nearly always ranks as the most important issue among Likely Voters.

Voters have mixed feelings about government regulation of big business, but most feel small businesses are regulated too much. Americans overwhelmingly believe more competition and less regulation is better for the economy than more regulation and less competition.
Seventy-five percent (75%) of voters prefer free markets over a government-managed economy.

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Rasmussen Reports is an electronic media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion polling information. Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.

Disclaimer:
The Views and Opinions Expressed by the author are his or her opinions only and do not necessarily reflect those of Crown Equity Holdings or its agents, affiliates, officers, directors, staff, or contractors. The author at the time of this article did not own any shares or receive any consideration financial or otherwise from any company mentioned or referred to in the article.