Poll Hub

Can eating dinner as a family make your life better? Data shows families ARE still eating together despite decades of changes in technology (TV, smartphones) and that it could be improving health.

Then, we are looking into the mental health crisis among Gen Z. Most experts say it's real but we're looking at whether it's just Gen Z that's in a funk -- or is the problem more widespread.

And, we end with Lee's fun fact that is well timed for his recent birthday (which he treats like a national holiday). Think of it as a gift to you, our listeners. And, think of that as a clue!

Our latest poll with NPR/PBS NewsHour is out and behind the horserace numbers is some really interesting -- and some would say worrying -- data about how Americans are thinking about our democracy. We're asking what the results are telling us about which candidate is more likely to preserve democracy and about American's fear of fascism and extremism.

Next, are we becoming an R.E.M. song and losing our religion? There's a growing population in America that is identifying less with religion, particularly organized religion. Does this mean we're becoming less religious, as well? And, what does it mean for pollsters who use the religion of respondents to help better analyze opinion data?

And, after all that weighty stuff, our fun fact is all about a treat that, in excess, is surely weighty, as well: Donuts!

Our latest poll got plenty of attention in part because other polls released at the same time all show the same thing. Biden is doing better than he was just a month ago and there are several key reasons why. We look into our data to explain what we think is happening.

Next, we're exploring new survey results that show Americans are pretty displeased with the state of our public education system AND that teachers are pretty displeased with their jobs. They say they're not appreciated, overworked, and underpaid.

And, our fun fact asks a question that may not be providing the most accurate answers. Is the decade you think was best determined by your age at the time?

In our latest survey of New York State residents, we found a lot of pessimism about a lot of things -- except legalized recreational marijuana. We're unpacking the findings and what they say about the current Empire State of mind.

Then, after the NCAA women's college basketball final beat the men's final in the ratings, a lot of people are saying women's sports have finally arrived. While players like Caitlin Clark are changing the game, as we now see with her new WNBA contract, they are still be paid almost 3 times less than their male counterparts -- at best.

And, we end with a delicious and indulgent fun fact: Do you have a food you know is bad for you, but you eat anyway? We have A LOT of answers on this one.

Last episode, we dug into the results of our latest poll with NPR and the PBS NewsHour, but we didn't get to a bunch of questions we think are really interesting. So, we're going back for more and digging deeper.

Next, did you go out to watch the eclipse? Turns out a lot of Americans did but what did our producers find when they went searching for polling data on past eclipses. We were VERY surprised.

Finally, this week's fun fact asks a question that had us trotting out our very best Austin Powers impressions.

What do Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and single use plastics have in common? They're all part of our latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll and we're diving deep into the data to explain some surprising results.

Next, could Gen Z stay politically liberal as they age? The Washington Post's Philip Bump is our guest to help us dig into this theory. Gen Z is the biggest generation since the Boomers but, at least right now, they are displaying some very different behaviors from those of the generation now passing the torch.

And, our fun fact goes back millions (many millions) of years. Are we misremembering history due to a popular franchise movie? This week's fun fact tests our dinosaur knowledge.

We're digging into our first-of-the-season Texas poll to see if Democrats can break the decades-long GOP hold on the Lone Star State. Our data suggests Biden may not pull that off, but could Colin Allred turn Texas a little less red?

Next, we've turned Poll Hub over to our Gen Z student producers for a segment on TikTok. Why? For starters, the rest of us aren't really on it...or so we thought. The debate over whether the Chinese-owned app should be allowed to continue operating in the U.S. has made for some strange political alliances but what do American think?

We finish the way every good meal does -- with dessert! But, our fun fact reveals a lot of strong feelings about one very American sugary treat.

The 2024 election may, like those in 2016 and 2020, come down to the results in a handful of battleground states. We love polling these states and our first of this year are Georgia and North Carolina. It's early but the data tells a lot about the opportunities and challenges Joe Biden and Donald Trump face.

Then, we have an awesome extended segment on AI in education. Some teachers and college professors worry about Chat GPT being more like "Cheat" GPT but others are embracing the technology. We're bringing our two student producers together with Marist Assistant Professor of Communications Dr. Qihao Ji to talk about how he requires it in classroom!

And, we finish with Lee's fun fact about the times of our lives. What are the best times of life? What are the worst? A 1971 survey has us talking.

History shows the State of the Union address rarely provides presidents with a lasting bounce in the polls so, while Joe Biden may have been hoping for one after his widely praised speech, that it didn't happen is not a surprise. It's also not a surprise that the coverage around it and the cringey GOP response from Alabama Sen. Katie Britt fit the new normal: political journalism as sports coverage.

Next up, with the pandemic in the rear-view mirror, office life for white collar workers has changed. While work from home has been scaled way back, most workers are not in the office 5 days a week and they like it that way. But, is it good for careers, companies, or workers?

Finally, as we celebrate St. Patrick's Day, we dig up a poll from 1994 that shows a majority of Americans just aren't that green.

The latest NYTimes/Siena Poll has been getting a lot of attention, but not all the good kind. Plenty of Democrats are upset about what it shows and how the Times covered it. Others used the numbers to bolster arguments about Biden's age or Trump's electability.

But, we argue the REAL problem is the poll's methodology itself. It's a novel way of trying to solve issues that plague polling but it's an experiment with no control group and it's reported as gospel...

Then, we relax as Lee returns for his Fun Fact from 1939 -- and it takes an unexpected twist!