Best Days Behind
by Scott Rasmussen
Issue 127 - March 4, 2009

U.S. voters are a little more pessimistic about the days to come this month. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 39% of voters believe America’s best days are in the future, while 40% say they are in the past.

The number of people who say the nation’s best days lie ahead is the lowest found since July 4 of last year and is down from 48% just before Barack Obama’s inauguration a month ago. Last month, 35% of voters said the nation’s best days had come and gone.

More than one in five voters (21%) are undecided, up from 17% last month and 16% in December.

Men are more evenly divided on the question, with 43% who say the best days are still to come and 40% who say the opposite. Among women, 41% believe America’s best days have come and gone, while 35% say they are still ahead.

Given the current political landscape, it's no surprise that most Republicans (55%) say the nation’s best days are in the past, while most Democrats (51%) say they are still to come. The plurality (45%) of unaffiliated voters thinks America’s best days have already past.

Government workers say the best days are ahead 56% to 33%, while those who work for private companies take the opposing view, 47% to 32%. Among retirees, 46% say the best days are gone, while 33% say they still lie ahead. Entrepreneurs believe the country’s best days are still to come by a 42% to 37% margin.

Consumer and investor confidence as measured in the Rasmussen Consumer Index both hover just above record lows.

Overall, 61% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President Obama’s performance while 37% disapprove in the latest Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Approval Index. The president has maintained a high level of voter approval since Inauguration Day.

Despite the growing uncertainty about the nation’s future, the new survey finds that 69% of voters view American society as generally fair and decent, showing no change from January. Only 22% say society is generally unfair and discriminatory, down from 23% a month ago. Nine percent (9%) are not sure.

Sixty-nine percent (69%) of men and women agree society is fair and decent, while 23% of the two demographic groups men view it as unfair and discriminatory.

Most blacks (55%) now say society is fair and decent, up from 40% a month ago. Forty percent (40%) of black voters view society as unfair and discriminatory, down from 58% last month. Most white voters (73%) say society is fair and decent, while 19% say the opposite.

The poll also finds that most voters (60%) prefer a government that imposes lower taxes and provides fewer services, while 28% would prefer higher taxes with more government services. The number who want more services is up slightly from last month, when 25% felt that way.

When it comes to foreign policy, just 15% of voters say the United States should do what its allies want, while 49% say the nation’s allies should do what America wants. Thirty percent (30%) agree with neither side. Those results are almost identical to those found in January.

Most voters (72%) believe people who move to America from other countries should adopt U.S. culture, while 13% say they should maintain the cultures of their home countries. Fifteen percent (15%) are undecided.

Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.