Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere
As America gets ready to celebrate its 233rd birthday, 44% of likely voters say the nation’s best days are in the past.

But a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that nearly as many (38%) think America’s best days are still to come. Those results show no change since May.

Most Democrats (54%) say the nation’s best days are in the future, but the majority of Republicans (61%) and unaffiliated voters (52%) believe those days have come and gone.


Sixty-five percent (65%) of voters view American society as generally fair and decent, down four points from last month. Less than a quarter (23%) view U.S. society as unfair and discriminatory, up three points from May.

While nearly three-out-of-four men (74%) see society as fair and decent, just 58% of women say the same.

One-in-four voters (25%) now prefers a government that offers more services but imposes higher taxes. Most voters (61%), however, continue to prefer a government that offers fewer services with lower taxes.

When it comes to foreign policy, 49% say the nation’s allies should do what the United States wants, down four points from last month. Only 11% say America should do what its allies want more often, down three points from a month ago. Nearly one-in-three voters (32%) say neither side should have to do what the other wants, up six points from last month and the highest result found in over two years of polling.

Seventy-four percent (74%) believe individuals who move to the United States from other countries should adopt American culture, while 12% say they should maintain the culture of their home countries. Those results have changed little over the past few years of polling.

Separate polling shows 37% of likely voters believe America is heading in the right direction, while 57% say the country is heading down the wrong track.

Still, 82% of voters say, if given the choice, they would still choose to live in America over anywhere else in the world.

Even though American troops have now pulled out of all cities in Iraq and still are on schedule to be completely withdrawn by the end of 2011, 64% of voters do not believe the war in Iraq is over. If violence reoccurs, most voters say the Iraqis should deal with it rather than sending U.S. troops back in.