SCSU survey: Jobs remain No. 1 concern for state

More than half of Minnesotans asked during the most recent St. Cloud State University survey think the state is headed in the wrong direction.
Fifty-six percent of the 626 Minnesotans randomly selected for the survey Oct. 17-26 had that opinion. That’s down 1 percent from last year.
And those surveyed identified unemployment and job opportunities as the biggest problem facing the state. Budget and budget deficit was second, followed by the economy.
The survey also asked whether the state constitution should be amended so that only a union of one man and one woman will be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota.
Forty-seven percent said the constitution shouldn’t be amended in that fashion, while 44 percent believed it should be amended.
The gap widened depending on how the person being asked was contacted. Of those who were asked the marriage amendment question on a “landline” phone, 48 percent supported the marriage amendment. Only 39 percent of those contacted on their cellphones supported the marriage amendment.
The survey’s margin of error was plus or minus 5 percent.
Other survey questions asked about the job performances of President Barack Obama and Gov. Mark Dayton. Obama’s performance rating increased, with 41 percent rating his performance as excellent or pretty good. That’s up from 38 percent last year. But 59 percent rated his performance only fair or poor.
As for Dayton, 45 percent rated his performance excellent or pretty good, while 50 percent rated his performance as fair or poor.
When asked who was to blame for last summer’s state government shutdown, 57 percent blamed the Legislature, 19 percent blamed Dayton and 19 percent said that both were to blame.

FASCINATING WI Christian poll .. my!

How satisfied are you with Governor Walker's job in office?
VERY satisfied. He is doing a great job.	6.10%
Somewhat satisfied. He's on the right track but needs to address more issues too.	1.42%
Somewhat dissatisfied. He's ok, but I expected more.	0.20%
VERY UNsatisfied. He should be recalled.	92.28%
What Do You Value Most About Your Church?
Biblical Teaching, Spiritual Growth and Opportunities to Serve	85.92%
Inspiring Praise and Worship Time	4.23%
Friends, Fun and Fellowship	1.41%
I Don't Have a Church Home	8.45%
Who will you vote for in the upcoming Wisconsin recall elections?
Republican candidates	80.00%
Democrat candidates	15.00%
Some of each party	0.00%
I do not plan to vote	5.00%
Do you believe there will be a major Christian revival in the United States?
Yes, I am definitely expecting all Christians to unite and revival to come to America.	20.31%
No, more people are falling away from the truth and revival is not likely.	79.69%
Do you believe the price of gasoline is being artificially inflated?
Yes	89.29%
No	10.71%
How busy are you?
I am busier than ever before and have more to do in a day than I can complete.	66.67%
I am just as busy as I've always been, but still have free time.	16.67%
I have a little more free time than I used to, but stay as busy as I want.	13.33%
I wish I were busier - I have plenty of time on my hands.	3.33%
How do you feel about Governor Walker's Budget Repair Bill?
I am 100% in favor of it. It is long overdue and the only way to really save jobs in Wisconsin.	41.73%
We need to cut spending, but not at the expense of unions or public workers.	2.16%
I think both sides need to compromise.	2.88%
I am completely against Gov. Walker's plan.	53.24%
What are your feelings in regard to the Internet and your Christian walk?
The internet can be a very useful tool for good, and that's how we use it.	28.00%
The internet can be very dangerous, and we take steps to prevent ungodly content from entering our homes.	32.00%
We sometimes struggle with spending too much time on the net, and viewing inappropriate materials.	24.00%
We're under "grace" -- anything we wish to view on the internet is fine with God, no matter the content.	16.00%
Do you feel we are in the 'Last Days' or the 'End Times' and that the Lord might return in our lifetimes?
Absolutely. I feel the Lord could return any day now.	20.73%
Maybe not in our lifetimes, but we are drawing closer to the 'end.'	10.98%
No; nothing is any different today than it has ever been before. I believe the End Times are many years away.	63.41%
I don't believe in any "Second Coming," therefore your poll question is irrelevant.	4.88%
What is your general feeling of the condition of the church in America today?
I believe the church is stronger than ever, seeking to be more relevant and meet more peoples' needs.	1.05%
I believe the church is the same as it has always been - no change in the recent past.	1.05%
I believe the church has compromised some essential teaching, but is still basically sound.	6.32%
I believe many churches have strayed from biblical foundations and many today are apostate.	91.58%
Which of the following best describes your personal practice in witnessing for Christ?
I share my Christian faith at every opportunity.	11.11%
I share my Christian faith whenever I am asked.	8.33%
I share my Christian faith only when it is comfortable, with close friends and other Christians.	8.33%
I am generally ashamed to talk about my Christian faith with others.	72.22%
What is your attitude toward carnal entertainment, (i.e. television, movies, music) that not only is not Christian in nature, but actually mocks or degrades Christianity.
What one puts into their mind affects their lives and Christians must actively avoid such things.	43.14%
Christians are under "grace" and therefore all things are permissible.	1.96%
I have no problem separating the entertainment I enjoy and my Christian life; one does not affect the other.	19.61%
No one should judge anyone else for their entertainment choices. It is none of their business.	35.29%
What is your personal belief about Creation?
I believe God created the universe in seven literal days, just as the Bible states.	52.11%
I believe God created the universe, but may have used evolution and taken millions of years.	11.27%
I do not believe the Biblical account of creation, but do not know how the universe came to be.	9.86%
I am a firm believer in evolution; everything evolved from nothing.	26.76%
Do you, or someone in your household use prescription medications on a regular and ongoing basis?
Yes, one medication, every day.	13.89%
Yes, several medications every day.	55.56%
Yes, several times a week, but not daily.	2.78%
No. No one in our home uses prescription drugs.	27.78%
How do you feel about the books and movie series, "Twilight?"
"Twilight" is deceptive, dangerous and of the devil and leads people away from God. Christians have no business being involved in such things.	76.19%
"Twilight" is just fantasy entertainment and is harmless. I am a Christian and a "Twilight" fan and it is just fine. http://www.wisconsinchristiannews.com/poll_archive.php

Obama Full-Month Approval in August Falls to Lowest of His Presidency

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/obama_approval_index_month_by_month

When tracking President Obama’s job approval on a daily basis, people sometimes get so caught up in the day-to-day fluctuations that they miss the bigger picture. To look at the longer-term trends, Rasmussen Reports compiles the numbers on a full-month basis, and the results can be seen in the graphics below.
In August, the number who Strongly Approve of Obama’s job performance was at 21%.  That’s down three points from 24% in July and the lowest level measured during Obama's entire presidency.  The previous low was 23% reached in both April and June of this year.

Since July 2009, the number who Strongly Approved of the president’s performance has now ranged from a low of 21% to a high of 31%.  By comparison, 43% Strongly Approved of Obama's performance in January 2009.

The number of voters who Strongly Disapprove of the president’s performance increased a point from July to 42% in August.  The number of voters who Strongly Disapproved has ranged from 37% to 44% since July 2009.

The full-month Presidential Approval Index rating for August is down four points from July to -21.  That’s by far Obama's lowest full-month approval index rating since taking office in January 2009.  Prior to this survey, Obama’s lowest level of approval was -17, reached three times since January 2009.  With a few exceptions, the president’s approval index rating has stayed between -14 and -17 since the beginning of 2010.

The full-month numbers for August show Strong Approval from 43% of Democrats, while 73% of Republicans Strongly Disapprove. Among voters not affiliated with either party, 14% Strongly Approve and 42% Strongly Disapprove of Obama's job performance.

(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 president’s total job approval dipped two points in August to 44%, also the lowest level of approval to date.  The last time half (50%) of voters approved of Obama’s performance was in July 2009.  For 2011, prior to this survey, the president’s total job approval on a full-month basis has remained in the narrow range of 46% to 49%.  Throughout 2010, Obama’s full month approval ratings ranged from 45% to 47%.
Fifty-five percent (55%) disapproved of the president’s performance in August, the highest level measured yet.  That finding has ranged from 49% to 54% since July 2009. 

The economy remains the top issue on the minds of voters, while perceptions of the president’s handling of the issue has fallen to a new low.
Most voters continue to blame the struggling economy on the recession that began during the Bush administration, but the number who trusts their own economic judgment more than Obama’s is at a new high. 
Voters continue to have mixed views on the president’s leadership style.
Obama earns his lowest level of support yet against a generic Republican in a hypothetical 2012 election matchup for the week ending Sunday, August 28.  For the first time this year, Texas Governor Rick Perry leads the president in a national Election 2012 survey.  Other Republican candidates trail the president by single digits.  

2009	Strongly  Approve	Strongly  Disapprove	Approval  Index	Total  Approve	Total  Disapprove
Jan	43	20	23	62	34
Feb	39	25	14	59	39
Mar	37	30	7	57	42
Apr	35	31	4	55	44
May	35	29	6	57	42
Jun	34	32	2	54	45
Jul	30	37	-7	50	49
Aug	30	39	-9	49	50
Sep	31	39	-8	49	51
Oct	29	39	-10	48	51
Nov	28	40	-12	48	52
Dec	26	41	-15	46	53
2010
Jan	27	41	-14	47	52
Feb	25	39	-14	47	52
Mar	27	42	-15	46	53
Apr	30	41	-11	47	52
May	27	41	-14	46	53
Jun	26	42	-16	46	53
Jul	26	43	-17	46	54
Aug	27	43	-16	46	53
Sep	27	44	-17	45	54
Oct	28	43	-15	47	52
Nov	26	42	-16	46	53
Dec	25	40	-15	46	53
2011
Jan	27	38	-11	48	51
Feb	26	39	-13	47	52
Mar	25	40	-15	46	53
Apr	23	38	-15	47	52
May	25	36	-11	49	50
June	23	38	-15	47	52
July	24	41	-17	46	53
August	21	42	-21	44	55

Platinum Members have access to other measures of the president’s performance which can be found on the new Presidential Page.  This page includes full demographic breakdowns, a first-hand look at crosstabs and historical trends for the president.

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.
Rasmussen Reports Platinum Members get an all-access pass to polling news, analysis and insight not available to the general public.
Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

Daily tracking results are collected via telephone surveys of 500 likely voters per night. The monthly numbers in this article are based on approximately 15,000 interviews each month with likely voters. The margin of sampling error is less than +/- 1 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

Do you think the economy is now in a recession, or not?: CNN poll results

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/09/01/rel14h.pdf

35% say the recession is serious, 34% moderate, 13% mild. Only 18% say the country is not is recession.

"Democrats strongly disagree. Eighty-three percent want the president to focus more on job growth, and two-thirds of independents say the same.

This could hint at the president’s economic plan as he campaigns for re-election. With only 34% of Americans approving of the way he is handling the economy, according to a CNN/ORC Poll released earlier this week, job creation could help the president solidify his party’s eroding support, while bringing in key independent voters."

US Economic Confidence Sinks to 2011 Low; 55% Say Economy Still in Recession or Depression

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 02:13 PM PDT

A pair of recent Gallup Polls shows distinct loss of confidence in the US economy. The first poll shows Americans' Economic Confidence at the 2011 Low. A second poll shows 55% still think the economy is in a recession, or worse.

Please consider Americans' Economic Confidence Declines Further

Gallup's Economic Confidence Index dropped to -39 in the week ending April 24 -- a new weekly low for 2011. This continues a downward trend that began in mid-February. The current deterioration of confidence contrasts sharply with the improving trend found at this time a year ago.


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Optimism About Economic Outlook Drops to 2011 Low

Slightly more than one in four Americans said the economy is "getting better" last week. This measure has been declining since mid-February, and is now at its 2011 low. Far fewer Americans currently feel the economy is improving than held that expectation a year ago, when 41% said things were getting better.



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Just 12 months ago, economic confidence was improving and there was talk of "frugality fatigue." The U.S. saw a sharp spike in spending -- particularly among those with higher incomes -- during May 2010. Things were looking up for the nation's retailers and the economy as a whole until the debt crisis in Europe surfaced.

This year, economic confidence is going in the opposite direction. There is an increasing danger of stagflation as prices surge and the economy slows. As a result, retailers and the economy could find it difficult to match last May's sales performance in 2011.

Survey Respondents Think US Still In Recession

For example, please consider More Than Half Still Say U.S. Is in Recession or Depression

More than half of Americans (55%) describe the U.S. economy as being in a recession or depression, even as the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) reports that "the economic recovery is proceeding at a moderate pace."

Right now, do you think the economy is growing, slowing down, in a recession, or in an economic depression?



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Although economists announced that the recession ended in mid-2009, more than half of Americans still don't agree. These ratings are consistent with Gallup's mid-April findings that 47% of Americans rate the economy "poor" and 19.2% report being underemployed.

In another possible disconnect with monetary policymakers, many Americans may not see the trade-off Bernanke suggests between promoting a stronger economy and experiencing higher inflation. Right now, prices are soaring, yet the latest Gallup Daily tracking data show that 67% of Americans say the economy is "getting worse."

Majority Do Not See A Recovery

Is there a recovery? The answer is in the eyes of the beholder. Turn on mainstream media and the answer would likely be a resounding yes. Take a poll of average citizens and the answer is clearly different.

The one bright spot in the Gallup survey is 27% of respondents now think the economy is growing. This is up from 3% in September of 2008. However, there are more who think the US is in a depression than a recession, and more who think the US is a depression than think the economy is growing.

With rising gas prices, rising food prices, falling real wages, and falling nominal wages for many households, it should not be difficult to figure out reasons for declining sentiment.

Recovery is a Mirage

There is no real recovery, at least in any meaningful sense. Unemployment is down, but employment is not up. The economy is finally adding jobs, but at snail's pace compared to any normal recovery.

Mean Unemployment Duration Weeks

'

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If you lose your job, good luck finding another one quickly. You will need it.

Civilian Employment



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Does that depict a recovery? Before you answer, bear in mind that Bernanke estimates that it takes 125,000 jobs a month just to hold the unemployment rate flat.

The only reason the unemployment rate has fallen is 2.3 million workers dropped out of the labor force in the last year alone, smack in the midst of an alleged recovery.

Take away government spending, unemployment insurance, and food stamps and you have a widespread economic depression. Gallup respondents realize that; The average commentator on mainstream media doesn't.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Poll: Taxing the Rich Favored over C utting Medicare

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53455.html

• 290 Comments

President Obama's approach won out over Paul Ryan's in a new survey. | AP Photos Close

By JENNIFER EPSTEIN | 4/20/11 6:10 AM EDT Updated: 4/20/11 9:18 AM EDT

 

Most Americans oppose the big spending cuts that many in Washington see as necessary to bring down the budget deficit, a new poll suggests, but they do support one idea for deficit reduction that President Barack Obama has pushed for years — raising taxes on the rich.

Only small slivers of the group of Americans surveyed for a Washington Post/ABC News poll released Wednesday said they support cuts to Medicare and Medicaid — 21 percent and 30 percent, respectively — and cuts to defense spending get the support of 42 percent of those surveyed. Seventy-eight percent of Americans are opposed to Medicare cuts, while 69 percent are opposed to Medicaid cuts.

VIDEO: Obama's deficit plan

VIDEO: Ryan's spending proposal

POLITICO 44

The potential solution to the debt crisis that gets the strongest support is raising taxes on Americans who make $250,000 or more annually, an idea that Obama campaigned on in 2008, backed away from last year to make a legislative deal with Republicans but has returned to as he’s begun discussing his vision for long-term fiscal responsibility. Of those surveyed, 72 percent said they support tax increases on people with incomes of more than $250,000, including 54 percent who strongly support them. Twenty-seven percent are opposed, including 17 percent strongly. 

Another potential remedy to the debt crisis gets less support — 45 percent of those surveyed said they support raising taxes on all Americans by a small percentage while making small cuts to Medicare and Social Security. Fifty-three percent of Americans are opposed to such a plan, including 40 percent who say they are strongly opposed.
One more idea that doesn’t get much support is House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s proposal to transform Medicare into a modified voucher program, with 65 percent of those surveyed opposed and 34 percent supporting it.
Asked whom they trust more to handle the debt, 46 percent of those surveyed pointed to congressional Republicans, while 42 percent said they trusted Obama more on the issue. Nine percent say they trust neither. Both sides have suggested entitlement cuts of varying measures, but only Obama is pushing the notion of tax hikes.
At the same time, nearly half of all Americans — 48 percent — said they think Obama isn’t doing enough to try to compromise with congressional Republicans, while 12 percent say he is doing too much and 38 percent said he is doing about the right amount of compromising.
The poll was conducted April 14-17 and surveyed 1,001 adults. The error margin is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53455.html#ixzz1KTpqSBkD.
See the videos ..