Trust on Issues

Voters Now Trust GOP More On All 10 Key Issues

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Republicans officially assumed control of the U.S. House of Representatives this month, and voters now trust the GOP more than Democrats on all 10 of the most important issues regularly surveyed by Rasmussen Reports including the economy, health care, taxes and national security.

The last time voters trusted Republicans more on all 10 issues was late August. But this shows a sharp contrast from two years ago when Democrats were trusted more than Republicans on most issues. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Republicans were trusted more on seven out of 10 issues in December and eight out of 10 in October just before Election Day.

Republicans also have held double-digit leads over Democrats on two of the three weekly Generic Congressional Ballots so far this year. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... nal_ballot

On the economy, the most important issue to voters, the GOP holds a 48% to 39% lead. These findings have shown little change since early June 2009. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... _of_issues

Most Americans continue to lack confidence in the stability of the U.S. banking system http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... g_industry and see inflation driving up grocery prices. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... _otherwise Most also expect higher interest rates a year from now. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... r_from_now

With the GOP-led House likely to vote to repeal the national health care bill this week, voters now trust Republicans more on health care, the second most important voting issue, by a 52% to 38% margin. In December, Democrats had a slight 45% to 43% edge, but it was the first time President Obama’s party had led on the issue since July of last year.

Most voters continue to favor repeal of the health care bill http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... h_care_law and tend to think repeal will cause the federal budget deficit to go down. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... it_reducer

Two surveys of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters each were conducted January 11-12 and January 13-14, 2011 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.

Republicans have an eight-point edge in terms of trust on the issue of government ethics and corruption, 43% to 35%. That’s the biggest gap since last May, though at that time Democrats held the lead. Last month, the parties were tied on the issue after remaining close on it over much of the past year.

Voters continue to give Republicans a significant lead on taxes, 52% to 33%. Republicans have led on this issue for almost a year. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... _two_years

Yet while the Tea Party may be lighting a fire under congressional Republicans to cut the size of government, voters still expect government spending, taxes and the deficit to go up over the next two years.

Republicans remain ahead on the issues of immigration (48% to 37%) and national security and the war on terror (50% to 35%).

Voters still strongly believe that gaining control of the border should be the legislative priority over legalizing the status of undocumented workers already living in the United States. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... _illegally

But voters show little confidence in how America is fighting the War on Terror. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... ror_update The GOP also continues to lead on the issue of the war in Afghanistan (44% to 36%), on which they’ve been ahead for months. Even as the president insists that U.S. troop withdrawals from Afghanistan will begin in July as scheduled, voter confidence in the course of the war remains low. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... fghanistan

Last month, Democrats had the edge on education, 44% to 36%. Republicans now lead on the issue but by the narrowest margin of any issue polled this month (40% to 38%).

Republicans hold a 10-point edge when it comes to voter trust on Social Security-related issues, 46% to 36%, up from a virtual tie last month.

Americans are receptive to a proposal by the president’s bipartisan deficit reduction commission to increase the level of income taxable for Social Security, but most don’t like the idea of raising the retirement age. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... _tax_level

As for the war in Iraq, which voters rate the least important issue, Republicans hold a 45% to 37% lead in trust.

Voters continue to feel the Republican agenda in Congress is less extreme than that of congressional Democrats. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... than_gop_s

While a plurality of voters continues to give Obama positive ratings on his handling of national security issues, his ratings on economic issues remain near all-time lows. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... on_economy

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... _on_issues