Poll Hub

There's new CDC data showing a concerning trend in teenage girls' mental health. Feelings of sadness and hopelessness for teenage girls are much higher than for boys and the gap is widening. Guest Dr. Nicholas Allen @Prof_Nick_Allen breaks down how the pandemic and social media may have played a role in this, and how we turn a corner.

Society often has a negative connotation of nepotism as seen in a recent poll, especially when it comes to politics. However, data shows Americans' feelings about it in their own lives is quite different.

Finally, we get to this week's fun fact which all coffee lovers will want to hear. We're looking at 1949 and 2021 to see how America's coffee habits have changed. Do we go out more or have we become at home baristas?

Our latest national poll is out and we are giving an inside scoop on the numbers. Biden and Trump's approval ratings are showing notable trends. As the tech industry faces scrutiny in the Supreme Court, our data reveals what Americans think the government should do when it comes to regulation. And, we asked about American support for Ukraine in a way that tells a different story from some in the media.

Next, we welcome Susan Page, Washington Bureau Chief of USA Today (@susanpage) to discuss how CNN's Don Lemon's critiques of Nikki Haley have re-sparked the long, ongoing conversation about how women are treated in politics. The number of women in Congress is going up, but is this really proof of progress? Certainly Lemon isn't the first or last to criticize female candidates based on their gender, but does the reaction to it indicate things are getting better?

And finally, have you ever thought about your forever flavor? We are with this week's fun fact.

Not to get to maudlin, but what happens when one of the most influential generations in American history dies out? In The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America, Washington Post columnist Philip Bump @pbump dives into this question. He joins us this week to knock down (some) Boomer stereotypes and to put into perspective just how much the generation changed politics, culture, and the economy. And, they’re not done yet! Bump talks about how the new battle between Biden and the Republicans over Social Security is a major part of Boomers' likely last act.

We end with a question about what type of chocolate Americans prefer that quickly shifts to a more existential one: is white chocolate really chocolate?

Data shows Americans have been especially pessimistic lately when it comes to President Biden and the state of the economy. However, numbers show the economy is about as good as it's ever been and it's just fact that Biden has accomplished more in his first two years (whether you like what he's done or not) than nearly any other president in history. So what's behind this giant disconnect? We look at political science, public opinion science, and journalism to find some answers.

Then, it's on to potential demographic changes in the 2030 Census. NPR correspondent Hansi Lo Wang @hansilowang walks us through the proposed changes and then helps us understand what they could mean for the Census, pollsters like us, and all the industries that rely on polling data.

And, just in time for Super Bowl weekend AND Valentine's Day, a survey question of critical importance: Do Americans have a greater love of love or a love of sports? We have new data from our latest Marist Poll plus a surprising trend in the answer.

Our first poll of 2023 is out and we asked about a lot of things, including what Americans think the State of the Union is, Biden's latest approval rating, and how big a problem extremism is for both parties. We found some surprises there. We also asked about social media and Americans have an interesting take on the media's effects.

Is tipping out of control? We look at how the pandemic has affected the practice of tipping in the United States. Internationally, the U.S. is one of the only countries in which tipping is common and, with so many service worker in tip-based jobs living at or below the poverty level, we ask, is it realistic to keep the practice?

In honor of Groundhog Day and the ultimate question of two more weeks of winter or spring, we look at who Americans trust more: a furry animal or the TV weather star.

The recent Speaker of the House election ended with Kevin McCarthy winning (barely) and with Americans having little confidence Congress will accomplish anything in the next two years. Americans hope their representatives work with Biden, but do not seem optimistic. It comes as the Biden Administration resets for both a divided government and an expected re-election campaign. How will the mess in the House influence the 2024 race?

Then, we get into rank choice voting. After its Broadway debut in the New York City mayoral elections in 2021, it played a starring role in the Alaska elections in which a Democrat beat two Republicans – including Sarah Palin – to become the state’s lone House member. There are at least 27 bills being introduced across the country to use RCV. Has its time finally arrived? 

We finish with Lee's Fun Fact from 1990 looking at what music Americans were listening to...and we have some issues with how the survey was written.

Even as Americans in general have slowly moved away from identifying as either a Democrat or Republican over the past couple of decades, younger voters are already there. In fact, Millennials are bucking a trend among Boomers and members of the Silent Generation who’ve become less likely to be independents as they age – Millennials have become continuously more likely to identify as independents.

Then, a recent study from Stanford published in the journal Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science found the stress of living through the pandemic physically changed adolescents' brains and prematurely aged them by at least three or four years. So, it appears that the pandemic not only adversely affected adolescents’ mental health, but also accelerated their brain maturation. These findings have critical implications for researchers who are conducting longitudinal studies that were interrupted due to pandemic-related shutdowns. Our special guest is Dr. Ian H. Gotlib (@GotlibLab) from Stanford University who is a co-author of the study.

We finish up with Lee's Fun Fact from 1949 when Americans had high hopes for the Atomic Age.

Almost since the founding of the nation, immigration has been a political flash point. Since 2016, when Donald Trump rode his pledge to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to the White House, most Republicans have supported very tight restrictions to immigration of all types. Over the last year, the number of people crossing the southern border has hit record levels and, this week, Biden made his first visit to the border as President. So, we're marking the occasion by looking at polling on immigration over the last 30 years -- and we've found some surprising changes.

Next, we welcome back Marist Communications/Journalism professor Kevin Lerner (@KLerner) to talk about how social media has moved away from being a virtual town square and the "great leveler" to being a series of tribal destinations. Now sites for specific groups have gained traction, especially political ones. Twitter has been challenged by a host of conservative apps like Parler, Gettr, Truth Social, Rumble, and Gab. And, as Elon Musk made big moves at Twitter to un-ban some infamous right-wing extremists, liberals have headed to Post.social, Mastadon, and Hive. As part of our conversation, we're releasing results from our December poll on Musk's Twitter purchase. Marist Poll Tables (Musk/Twitter)

We finish with a Fun Fact that's older than Lee! It's all about how bad we can be at predicting the future. Plus, we get to close out the show with a favorite TV show theme song.

The first week of 2023 has brought a historic spectacle to Congress.

Republicans eked out the majority in the House in the midterm elections but can't agree on a Speaker. Whatever eventually happens, what will it mean for how the House operates (or doesn't) over the next two years? How about for Republican and Democratic changes in 2024? We look at our recent polling data to see what Americans think of Congress and what they expect of this already dysfunctional 118th Congress.

Then, CNN's Polling & Analytics Editor, Ariel Edwards-Levy (@AEdwardsLevy) joins us to talk about a recent high-profile New York Times article that has raised a fair amount of ire among pollsters. What's the problem? We're talking aggregators, polling methods, responsible journalism, and taking responsibility. Heavy stuff!

We end in 1957 with a Gallup Poll that asked a question that needs to be read carefully, lest the answers give the wrong impression.

The U.S. Census reports there are now more than 1 million same-sex couple households in the nation and our expert guest, Dr. Shoshana K. Goldberg, Director of Public Education & Research at the Human Rights Campaign, says it's more than just a milestone. In the same month that the President signed a bi-partisan bill to make same-sex marriage legal (the Supreme Court ruled that way several years back but it was never written into a law), our new poll with NPR and the PBS NewsHour charts the dramatic changes in how Americans see this ritual.

For our final Poll Hub of 2022, we take a look at our annual year-end poll which surveys Americans about how they approach the season (festive or frustrated), how they're shopping (online or in-store), and what the most annoying word of this year has been. Then, we head into the Roper archives to pull out three seasonal poll questions from the past so we can survey our entire team to see what they think. And predictably, we have something to say about the questions!