Poll Hub

Barbie is the hottest movie of the summer AND a battle in the culture wars. For this segment, we kicked the men out of the studio so the women on our team could talk about the journey Mattel's doll has made throughout the years. The intergenerational panel talks about the movie's themes of gender roles and feminist perspectives. And, as the movie faces mixed reviews, we hear reactions from the women on the Poll Hub team on which parts of the movie resonated with -- or confused them -- the most as well as their personal anecdotes surrounding Barbie dolls.

Then, we bring the men back for a fun fact on a quality a majority of women find to be important in a husband. Don't worry-- it can easily be learned!

Most Americans believe that it is the government's responsibility to ensure the safety of the food they eat. Yet, opinion divides about whether or not these institutions have the best interest of the public in mind. With the World Health Organization's recent concerns about Aspartame, a common sweetener present in some of our food and drinks, individuals may be more likely to set aside diet sodas. Yet, other food safety concerns may overshadow the importance of this one.

Then, while AI has been perceived as a means of cheating, some experts believe it can improve the classroom experience by fostering critical thinking. AI may prove to be a powerful motivator and tool for educators, but there are still challenges to overcome.

With many people facing extremely hot weather this summer, the thermostat is one attempt at temperature regulation. But, what exactly is the magic number? The Poll Hub team is divided on this one!

Between the floods in NY and New England, the vast and historic heat wave across the Southwest, Canadian forest fire smoke creating historically bad air quality, and the earth having multiple back-to-back hottest days in recorded history all over the past month, you might not think climate change is still an issue. But, you’d be wrong. Still, a LOT has changed in how Americans think about it since Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth made it a mainstream issue.

Next, voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Hey Google are in many American homes. We use them to turn on lights, check the baby, play some music, and add groceries to the list. They are the most ubiquitous form of AI but is this price of convenience a big threat to our privacy? Drew Prindle @GonzoTorpedo is a Senior Features Editor @DigitalTrends and joins the pod to answer that, and other questions that Siri and Alexa won't.

Finally, the fun fact is pretty simple. How many pairs of shoes do Americans own? Is it sexist for Jay to think he knows how this will stack up by gender? Or is it sexist for society to force women to need so many shoes... We'll stop there.

A majority of Americans agree that teachers should be the ones responsible for setting school curriculum. However, book bans and laws prohibiting teachers from discussing content related to racial and LGBTQ+ issues highlight how politicians are getting directly involved in the education system. Public opinion shows parents think that the government has much more important responsibilities in protecting children from harm.

The U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, issued a warning in May about the danger social media poses to children's mental health. The document has recommendations that may not entirely line up with public opinion on the issue. Jacqueline Nesi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University (@jacquelinenesi), helps us decode the warning and suggests that a coalition of efforts will be necessary to protect children.

With July Fourth behind us and the rest of summer laying out ahead, it's time to satisfy all of your summertime food cravings! This week's fun fact will have you reaching for...?

This special edition of Poll Hub represents a break from our past 299 episodes, not only because our student producers researched and wrote it all, but also because we focus on a single topic. We have special segments on earworms, one-hit wonders, and Americans' view of rock music, plus all this:

We start with "Why music?" How did a podcast that covers public opinion and survey science end up with a special episode on music?

Then, we explore the correlation between a person’s age when a song is a hit and how much they love that song years later. The scientific term for this is “music reminiscence bumps” and it occurs due to the intense emotional and hormonal development that happens during that age. Music creates strong emotional memories. In fact, the emotional attachment grandparents and parents have to the music from their youth carries on to their kids and grandkids.

Next, it turns out the music we listen to can tell us about our personalities. Musicologist Nolan Gasser (@nolangasser) tells us how music shapes who we are and how we feel. He's the author of Why You Like It: The Science and Culture of Musical Taste and the architect of the Music Genome Project at Pandora.

We follow with some science. It turns out that music can directly impact the chemicals in your body. Ellen Dissanayake, a former Affiliate Professor of Music at the University of Washington and the author of 5 books, describes how mother-infant songs help answer the question, "Which came first: music or language."

Then, we turn to the business of music. A lot has changed about the way we listen to music in the past few years, but not as much as the way we buy it -- or don't! Jason Lipshutz, the Senior Director of Music at Billboard, explains how streaming music has overturned the industry, potentially giving artists more control over the careers, while also depriving them of income. And, yes, Taylor Swift is a big part of this conversation.

Finally, we end, as always, with a sort-of "Fun Fact" -- this one involving the whole team and each of our brushes with music fame. One member of our team almost ran over the band she was going to see, and another stepped on the toe of a legendary singer but had no idea who he was.

Many thanks to the Athen Hollis, Eve Fisher, and Emily DuPointe for their hard work. And additional thanks to all the students over the last five years who've helped make Poll Hub a great show to be a part of...and hopefully to listen to!

We start out by taking a look at the results of the new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll that was released Friday. The majority of Americans believe that Trump has either done something illegal or unethical. Republicans, on the other hand, still have a very favorable impression of Trump.

It means he still likely has the inside line to the nomination, but other data in the poll suggests he would have a very tough time winning the general election if it were held today.

While this is all uncharted territory, Nixon and Watergate does offer some parallels, including strong Republican support to the bitter end.

Many Americans have said the economy is in a recession for almost a year, but it's not. And, economic data shows that things are actually pretty good and/or getting better in terms of unemployment, income, and inflation. Why the disconnect? It's the same for crime – even though crime rates have generally been dropping for decades, a majority of Americans have said, in most years, it's getting worse. We unpack what's driving the divergence.

Next, should teachers carry guns on campus? The RAND Corporation decided to ask...teachers, and the results are interesting. Teachers' opinions differed based on location, gender, and race. But, maybe most surprising, when asked about their main safety concerns at school, "active shooters" ranked seventh. "Bullying" was number one by a wide margin. Are we having the wrong conversation? RAND Study

We end with a poll from 1965 which asked about predictions for 1985. Amidst questions about whether communism would be defeated and if we'd land a man on the moon, pollsters came up with a very different kind of question that's perfect for summer...even if it's pretty misogynistic to ask it.

The public health emergencies for COVID are largely over around the world and by nearly all accounts, people in most places are living like they did pre-pandemic. Yet, scientists warn the pandemic is not really over and plenty of risk from variants and new viruses remains. Did we learn anything from last three years? Or are we just happy to have gotten through it?

Then, President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made a deal on the debt limit that, barring any surprises in the Senate, should be a done deal before the June 5th default date. There's been plenty of political posturing aimed at swaying Americans but we wanted to know how much Americans actually know about how Congress spends our tax dollars. It isn't pretty.

And with Memorial Day behind us, summer plans are coming into focus. If money was no object, where would you go? We checked out how Americans in 1950 answered that question and compared their responses to ours. How VERY different!

We start with a deep dive into the data of our new poll with NPR and the PBS NewsHour. Americans favor the Biden position of raising the debt limit separately from any discussion about spending cuts, but, if default happens, they would pretty much blame both sides equally.
 

Then, friend-of-the-poll and longtime Texas journalist John Sparks joins us in studio to help us understand if national Democrats should still be thinking the Lone Star state will soon turn purple. Colin Allred – former NFL star and current Congressman – is taking on incumbent GOP Senator Ted Cruz. But is it a pipe dream?
 

And, since Sparks is perhaps the rare Texan who's also a GIANT Yankees fan, the fun fact unites Lee and John is a detailed discussion of polls showing their team to be the most loved...and hated...in major league baseball.

Since the start of the COVID pandemic, data shows more young people are choosing to skip college. High tuition costs and a very strong job market are partly driving this but, if it continues, will those who passed on college suffer over the long term? And, how can the economy deal with fewer skilled workers?

Next, how much do you recycle? Polls show Americans are very pro-recycling and many of us do our part. But we look at data showing a lot of recycling might be going in the garbage.

Finally, with graduation season upon us and the last day of school approaching, we found a Fun Fact from 1949 that asked Americans their thoughts about how students could spend their summers more "productively"...