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What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending March 1, 2014

It’s tax time, and Americans aren’t in much of a spending mood.

South Dakota Senate: Rounds (R) 51%, Weiland (D) 31%

Former Governor Mike Rounds has a commanding lead over Democrat Rick Weiland in Rasmussen Reports’ first look at the likely 2014 U.S. Senate race in South Dakota.

A new statewide telephone survey of Likely South Dakota Voters finds Rounds ahead of Weiland by 20 points - 51% to 31% - in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Senator Tim Johnson. Six percent (6%) prefer some other candidate, while 11% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 500 Likely Voters in South Dakota was conducted on February 25-26, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

32% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

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 survey for the week ending February 23.

That’s up from 30% the previous week and is the highest level of optimism since the first week of June 2013. Prior to this week, this finding had seesawed between 29% and 30% every week since mid-December. A year ago, 34% said the country was headed in the right direction.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on February 17-23, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Generic Congressional Ballot: Democrats 41%, Republicans 37%

Democrats hold a four-point lead over Republicans for the second week in a row on the Generic Congressional Ballot.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending Sunday, February 23, finds that 41% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Democrat in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today. Thirty-seven percent (37%) would choose the Republican instead. This is unchanged from the previous week  and the third week in a row the Democrats have had the lead.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 

The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from February 17-23, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

West Virginia Senate: Capito (R) 49%, Tennant (D) 35%

Republican Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito posts a 14-point lead over Democrat Natalie Tennant in Rasmussen Reports’ first look at the likely 2014 U.S. Senate race in West Virginia.

A new statewide telephone survey finds that Capito earns 49% support from Likely West Virginia Voters to Tennant’s 35%. Four percent (4%) prefer another candidate in the race, and 12% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 500 Likely Voters in West Virginia was conducted on February 19-20, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

44% Favor Health Law’s Individual Insurance Mandate

Voters remain almost evenly divided over the new government requirement that every American must have health insurance, while support for a single-payer government-run health care system is at its highest level in over a year.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters think the federal government should require every American to buy or obtain health insurance. Forty-six percent (46%) oppose this so-called individual mandate that is part of the new national health care law. Ten percent (10%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 22-23, 2014 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.

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending February 22, 2014

Let’s party – or maybe not. That’s the big decision facing Republicans this election cycle.

46% Rate Obama Poorly on Health Care, 41% Positively

Voters' ratings for President Obama's handling of health care issues have rebounded since the disastrous weeks following the rollout of Obamacare on October 1. Voters are now closely divided over the quality of the job he is doing in this area.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 41% of Likely U.S. Voters give the president good or excellent marks for his handling of issues related to health care. That's up 11 points from 30% in mid-November, the lowest finding in over a year of regular monthly surveying. Slightly more (46%) still give the president poor marks in this area, but that's down nine points from November's high of 55%. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 18-19, 2014 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.

35% Blame Global Warming on Long-Term Planetary Trends

Though many voters believe there is significant disagreement in the scientific community, global warming advocates seem to be winning the public relations battle with fewer voters than ever who now think it is due to long-term planetary trends. The number who blame global warming on human activity, however, is unchanged from findings over the past 18 months, and voters still aren't overly enthusiastic about paying more to deal with the climate issue.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 63% of Likely U.S. Voters believe global warming is at least a somewhat serious problem, including 30% who say it is Very Serious. Thirty-two percent (32%) don’t consider global warming a serious problem, with 13% who say it’s Not At All Serious. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 18-19, 2014 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.

30% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Thirty percent (30%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending February 16.

That's up from 29% the previous two weeks. This finding has seesawed between 29% and 30% every week since mid-December and is consistent with attitudes for much of the Obama presidency. A year ago, 38% said the country was heading in the right direction.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on February 10-16, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

8% Think Congress Is Doing A Good or Excellent Job

Voters continue to give Congress rock-bottom ratings, and very few think members of Congress get reelected because they are good at their job.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just eight percent (8%) of Likely U.S. Voters rate the job Congress is doing as good or excellent. Sixty-six percent (66%) think Congress is doing a poor job. That’s unchanged from last month but still an improvement from November when 75% said Congress was going a poor job, the legislators' highest negative in seven years of regular surveying.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update ? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 16-17, 2014 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.

39% Give Obama Positive Marks for Economic Fairness, 39% Say Poor

President Obama made income inequality the central issue of last month's State of the Union address, but voters give the president only slightly better marks now when it comes to his handling of issues related to economic fairness.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 39% of Likely U.S. Voters think the president is doing a good or excellent job in this area. That's up from 37% in December but still down from 42% a year ago. However, just 39% also say the president is doing a poor job when it comes to economic fairness, down five points from two months ago and his lowest negative in a year. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 12-13, 2014 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. 

Generic Congressional Ballot: Democrats 41%, Republicans 37%

Democrats continue to hold a lead over Republicans on Generic Congressional Ballot.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey from the week ending Sunday, February 16 finds that 41% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Democrat in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today. Thirty-seven percent (37%) would choose the Republican instead. Democrats led by two points – 40% to 38% - the previous week. The two parties traded leads the first two weeks of February.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 

The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from February 10-16, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology. 

New High: 77% Support Purchasing Health Insurance Across State Lines

Just over half of voters still have an unfavorable opinion of the new national health care law, though slightly more now support the government requiring all plans to cover the same set of medical procedures than they have since October. Voters still strongly support choice when it comes to health insurance.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters rate the new law at least somewhat favorably, while 52% share an unfavorable opinion of it. This includes 16% with a Very Favorable view and 40% with a Very Unfavorable one. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 14-15, 2014 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.

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending February 15, 2014

The Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia have provided plenty of drama for over a week now, but Washington, DC offered some excitement of its own this week.

83% Say It’s Important For Economy to Provide All Chance to Succeed

Most voters continue to support an economic system that provides everyone a chance to succeed, and they generally believe it is fair and helpful for the economy to let those who are successful become very rich.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 83% of Likely U.S. Voters now think it is at least somewhat important for the economic system to provide everybody with an opportunity to succeed. This is down three points from October’s all-time high. Just 14% do not think that this is important, up from a record low of 10% in October. This includes 59% who think it’s Very Important  for everyone to have a chance to succeed, and just four percent (4%) who think it’s Not At All Important. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 12-13, 2014 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

Voters Rate Obama More Negatively on the Economy, National Security

Voters haven’t exactly been singing President Obama’s praises lately when it comes to economy and national security issues,  but they’re even more critical of him now.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 32% rate Obama’s handling of economic issues as good or excellent, down two points from the previous week and the lowest positive ratings since early December. Nearly half (47%) rate him poorly on the economy, up four points from last week and the highest poor rating since the same early December survey. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The national survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on February 10-11, 2014 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.

29% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

For the second week in a row, 29% of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending February 9.

This finding has fluctuated between 29% and 30% every week since mid-December and is consistent with attitudes for much of the Obama presidency. A year ago, 38% said the country was heading in the right direction.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on February 3-9, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

44% Are Confident They Will Receive All Promised Social Security Benefits

Most voters still have a favorable opinion of the Social Security system but also continue to doubt that they will receive all their benefits from the federal retirement system.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters are at least somewhat confident that the Social Security system will pay them all their promised retirement benefits during their lifetime, with 19% who are Very Confident. Fifty-five percent (55%) lack that confidence, including 25% who are Not At All Confident. (To see survey question wording, click here).

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 6-7, 2014 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.

Generic Congressional Ballot: Democrats 40%, Republicans 38%

Democrats have reclaimed their lead on the Generic Congressional Ballot.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending Sunday, February 9 finds that 40% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Democrat in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today. Thirty-eight percent (38%) would choose the Republican instead. Republicans led by a point – 40% to 39% - the previous week which was the first time the GOP had been ahead since the week ending December 22. Democrats had led for four weeks in a row in January.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 

The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from February 3-9, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.