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42% Say America's Best Days Remain in the Future | ||||||||||||||
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Survey of 1,000 Adults January 2-3, 2005
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January 4, 2005--As the New Year begins, 42% of Americans believe that our nation's best days remain ahead of us. A Rasmussen Reports survey of 1,000 adults found that 38% disagree and say that our best days have already come and gone. Those figures are somewhat more pessimistic than a year ago. In January 2004, a survey of 1,500 Likely Voters found that 48% said the nation's best days were in the future. Thirty-five percent (35%) said the past. The surveys are not precisely comparable because the 2005 survey interviewed all "Adults" while the earlier survey was based upon "Likely Voters." Sixty-one percent (61%) of Republicans believe that the best days are in the future. That's up from 55% a year ago. Twenty-four percent (24%) of the GOP faithful believe that the best days have already come and gone. A year ago, Democrats were evenly divided with 40% saying the future and 42% the past. Now, however, Democrats are much more pessimistic--just 29% say the best days for the USA are in the future. Fifty percent (50%) of John Kerry's party says those days are behind us. Investors are more optimistic than non-Investors--perhaps because 68% of Investors said that their investments gained value in 2004. Men are more optimistic than women (and male Investors more likely to say their investments gained ground). Those in their 30s and 40s are most optimistic while Americans under 30 and over 65 are most pessimistic. Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information. Our publications provide real-time information on consumer confidence, investor confidence, employment data, the political situation, and other topics of value and interest. We provide daily updates on the economic confidence of Consumers and Investors. Our consumer data generally identifies trends two to six weeks ahead of traditional consumer confidence measures. To keep up with our latest releases, be sure to visit the Rasmussen Reports Home Page.
This survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted by Rasmussen Reports January 2-3, 2005. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. |
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