President Obama yesterday announced $2.4 billion in federal grants to spur the production of electric cars in this country, and 40% of Americans say they are at least somewhat likely to buy an all-electric car within the next decade. But only 14% say it’s very likely.
As far as the public is concerned, the embattled U.S. news media is on its own.
Communities across the country have been toying with the idea of shifting to year-round schooling for educational and budget reasons, but 68% of Americans oppose extending the school year to a 12-month calendar.
Only 17% of Americans say teachers should be asked to take furloughs or pay cuts to help deal with the budget crises that are facing many school systems nationwide.
Nearly one-out-of-three women in America (32%) have read at least one of the fictional Harry Potter books, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Fourteen percent (14%) say they have read every one of the books by author J.K. Rowling.
The National Football League on Monday partially reinstated Michael Vick after his 18-month prison term for running a dogfighting ring, but Americans are closely divided over whether it’s a good idea for the league to let the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback play again.
Twitter is the latest social networking craze on the Internet, but a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of Twitter users are concerned about the safety of their personal information on the site. Twenty-six percent (26%) are very concerned.
Retired star quarterback Brett Favre reportedly will decide by Friday whether he will return to the National Football League, and 35% of adults in Minnesota think the Minnesota Vikings will be a better team than last year with Favre at the helm.
Forty-six percent (46%) of Americans say they still consider network television news programs a more reliable source of news than the Internet.
Sports fans love to compare players from different eras of a sport, especially baseball fans.
All the Walter wannabes have a ways to go to match the dean of television newscasters who died last Friday. Americans like longtime CBS newscaster Walter Cronkite much more than the current crew of network anchors, perhaps because they see him as less ideologically liberal.
Buzz Aldrin, one of the three U.S. astronauts who first walked on the moon in 1969, says America’s next goal should be sending a manned mission to Mars, but just 29% of Americans agree.
Though Major League Baseball implemented a more strict policy on steroid use prior to the 2005 season, the controversy surrounding the issue has continued into 2009 as new marquis players have admitted to or have been caught using banned substances.
The 2009 Major League baseball season is a little over halfway through, but the plurality of baseball fans (42%) already thinks St. Louis Cardinal slugger Albert Pujols should win the title of National League Most Valuable Player for the third time in just four years.
Seventy percent (70%) of American adults say the number of homeless families in the country will increase over the next year, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just seven percent (7%) expect that number to decline, while 19% think it will stay about the same.
One in five baseball fans (20%) say the Boston Red Sox will most likely win the 2009 World Series and 79% of Red Sox fans agree, making them the most confident fan base at the season’s halfway point.
As the 2009 Major League Baseball season enters its second half, the chief executive of the league earns positive reviews from the plurality of fans.
Seventy percent (70%) of Americans say the media paid too much attention to the death of music superstar Michael Jackson.
Forty-one percent (41%) of Americans say they are overweight, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
Most Americans (62%) agree that the Fourth of July is one of the country’s most important holidays. That figure is up four points from last year.
