Poll Hub

America’s inflation rate reached 6.2% in October 2021, marking the highest it has been in 3 decades. With President Biden’s public opinion suffering, we wanted to see if this is a uniquely American thing going on. Spoiler alert! It's not. With rising inflation rates worldwide and world leader’s approval ratings sinking, it seems we and Biden are in good company.

Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted on all charges after he shot three men, killing two and injuring one, during a protest in Kenosha. He argued it was self-defense. Ahmaud Arbery's killers also said they shot in self-defense but the jury in that case rejected the claim. In light of these back-to-back decisions that gripped the nation, we ask if the debate on guns in America has fundamentally changed.

Finally, it’s the holiday season and for many that means dreams of a snowy winter! Or does it? We look at how Americans feel about this chilly topic.

This week, we released an all new NPR/Marist Poll survey all about the economy and what most concerns Americans about it. Then, we shift gears to the Build Back Better plan. It passed the House but faces a tougher road in the Senate. We look at what polling says about how popular the contents of BBB are and how it could change Americans' perceptions of the President.

Next, we are joined by Jane McManus, the director of the Center for Sports Communication at Marist College, to look at our recent poll about women's sports. There are some surprising findings about how much coverage sports fans think women's sports deserve. See more of her thoughts on this issue on Deadspin.

Finally, how do you plan to shop this holiday season? Online or in person? That's the fun fact.

About Poll Hub

Each week, Poll Hub goes behind the science to explain how polling works, what polls really show, and what the numbers really mean. Poll Hub is produced by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, home of America’s leading independent college public opinion poll, the Marist Poll.

Lee Miringoff (Director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion), Barbara Carvalho (Director of the Marist Poll), and Jay DeDapper (Director of Innovation at the Marist Poll) dig deep to give you a look at the inner workings of polls and what they tell us about our world, our country, and ourselves.

Special Guest Dr. Gordon Hanson, co-author of On the Persistence of the China Shock,  joins us to discuss his research. He's looked at the Chinese economic transformation from 1990 onwards and has discovered fascinating insights into what the U.S. got wrong in dealing with it -- and what we can learn from those mistakes. One big finding is that the impact was, and still is, very different depending on where in the U.S. you live.

Next, a new Pew Research study of 17 countries with advanced economies and how their citizens view different aspects of America. Some of the highlighted topics in the study are our healthcare system, model of democracy, discrimination, military, and approval of the President. Spoiler alert! It ain't pretty.

Finally, our fun fact is just in time for Thanksgiving! You are definitely going to want to stay to get a piece of this one!

Dr. Gordon Hanson is the Peter Wertheim Professor in Urban Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. He is also a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and co-editor of 3 publications, including the Journal of Economic Perspectives. Find more of his research here.

Follow Dr. Gordon Hanson on Twitter: @gordon_h_hanson

About Poll Hub

Each week, Poll Hub goes behind the science to explain how polling works, what polls really show, and what the numbers really mean. Poll Hub is produced by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, home of America’s leading independent college public opinion poll, the Marist Poll.

Lee Miringoff (Director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion), Barbara Carvalho (Director of the Marist Poll), and Jay DeDapper (Director of Innovation at the Marist Poll) dig deep to give you a look at the inner workings of polls and what they tell us about our world, our country, and ourselves.

This week we’re exploring a new tool that shows what Americans think about global warming in a very different way. Dr. Jennifer Marlon joins us to talk about how the Yale Climate Opinion Maps were created and how useful they are. It turns out that looking at opinion in this new way may help us better understand climate change.

Next, our America Now Index is back and better than ever! The ANI is now quarterly and we explain the motivations behind the change. Then we look at the brand new Index numbers to see how Americans are feeling about economics, health, community, and society and government.

Then a very topical Fun Fact from Lee. If you could quit your job right now... what would you do? This week's Fun Fact looks at what people want to do with their free time.

Follow Dr. Marlon @JMarlonPhD and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication @yaleclimatecomm on Twitter.

About Poll Hub

Each week, Poll Hub goes behind the science to explain how polling works, what polls really show, and what the numbers really mean. Poll Hub is produced by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, home of America’s leading independent college public opinion poll, the Marist Poll.

Lee Miringoff (Director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion), Barbara Carvalho (Director of the Marist Poll), and Jay DeDapper (Director of Innovation at the Marist Poll) dig deep to give you a look at the inner workings of polls and what they tell us about our world, our country, and ourselves.

Election Day has come and gone with powerful lessons for Democrats and Republicans. Jessica Taylor is the Senate and Governors Editor for The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and she helps us sort through the hot takes to get at what may really matter most about Tuesday's results.

Next, our new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll tried to get a sense of how Americans are thinking about elections in general – specifically around issues of trust. There's broad agreement American democracy is in trouble but a very partisan split on what – and who – is to blame. But one question, in particular, has the team very worried. We note interesting reports on this from NPR’s Domenico Montanaro and NewHour's Laura Santhanam.

And, for Lee's Fun Fact, cats or dogs? Find out where Americans stand on this controversial question.

Follow Jessica on Twitter @JessicaTaylor. 
 

About Poll Hub

Each week, Poll Hub goes behind the science to explain how polling works, what polls really show, and what the numbers really mean. Poll Hub is produced by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, home of America’s leading independent college public opinion poll, the Marist Poll.

Lee Miringoff (Director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion), Barbara Carvalho (Director of the Marist Poll), and Jay DeDapper (Director of Innovation at the Marist Poll) dig deep to give you a look at the inner workings of polls and what they tell us about our world, our country, and ourselves.

A new polled released by CNN comes as the Democrats continue to negotiate the details of their massive social spending package. If passed, the $1T plus spending plan would expand education, health care and childcare support, as well as tackling the climate crisis and making further investments in infrastructure. But who supports it? The team looks at the latest data from CNN and breaks down party support.

Who do you trust? In Gallup's September update, Americans trust in politicians, the legislative branch, and even themselves is, in some cases, at an all-time low. What’s at stake? If Americans lose more trust in ourselves in the years ahead, could it create a "crisis for overall confidence in the U.S. democratic system?”

Happy early Halloween! With the 31st quickly approaching, the team looks at what Americans are doing to celebrate the spooky season this year!

About Poll Hub

Each week, Poll Hub goes behind the science to explain how polling works, what polls really show, and what the numbers really mean. Poll Hub is produced by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, home of America’s leading independent college public opinion poll, the Marist Poll.

Lee Miringoff (Director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion), Barbara Carvalho (Director of the Marist Poll), and Jay DeDapper (Director of Innovation at the Marist Poll) dig deep to give you a look at the inner workings of polls and what they tell us about our world, our country, and ourselves.

A new poll from Pew Research shows that two-thirds of Republicans say they want Trump to remain a political figure and 44% want him to run for office again. Democrats couldn’t disagree more. No surprise there as the GOP is pretty much Trump’s party right now. But, the survey also uncovered significant differences between the parties in how people think about criticism of their party leaders.

Next up, a look at how the increasingly incessant hunt for clicks in journalism combined with the proliferation of new and often shoddy polls is leading to a problematic perfect storm. A recent column in the Washington Post taking a New York Times reporter to task for publicizing a totally bogus poll from Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is a good place to start. We also talk about a poll in the California Governor recall race that demonstrates a variation on the theme.

And then a conversation about polling in our hyperpartisan era. When everything from wearing a mask to choosing a restaurant seems to fall along party lines, what chance does the polling industry have? New research from Duke University shows that people are more likely to trust a poll if it backs their own opinions. And stay for Lee’s fun fact, just in time for the trick-or-treaters!

Our latest poll of New Yorkers focuses on attitudes about new Governor Kathy Hochul who took office after Andrew Cuomo resigned. We’re discussing her approval rating, her leadership scores, and how she stacks up in a hypothetical Democratic primary next year. We also look at how Cuomo is faring after his self-inflicted fall from grace. Are voters even open to the idea of a comeback?

In the second segment, we’re joined by Daniel Cox from the American Enterprise Institute to discuss his new report on American public schools in the age of pandemic mandates and new culture war battles. His data highlights what Americans think should be taught and their fears when it comes to COVID-19 spreading in schools. Cox breaks it all down with the team and helps explain why these numbers matter. 

Finally, this week’s fun fact is all about vegetarians. Grab a grain bowl and join us!

Daniel A. Cox is a Senior Fellow in Polling and Public Opinion at American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the director of the Survey Center on American Life. You can find him on Twitter at @dcoxpolls. Learn more about the report here: https://www.americansurveycenter.org/research/august-2021-aps/

Coming Up!!!

Poll Hub is going LIVE! On Wednesday, October 20th at 7:00 PM Eastern, we’ll be doing the podcast live, so our listeners will have a chance to ask questions of the team and become a part of the conversation.

We’ll be discussing the latest news and what the polls are showing, plus how changes in journalism are impacting the way in which polls are reported. We will also dig into the challenges pollsters are facing in our hyper-partisan era. Finally, the fan-favorite segment - Lee’s Fun Fact - will poll the audience in real time!

Mark your calendars, set a reminder alert, or just show up Wednesday night to listen and join Poll Hub Live  by clicking on this link.

About Poll Hub

Each week, Poll Hub goes behind the science to explain how polling works, what polls really show, and what the numbers really mean. Poll Hub is produced by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, home of America’s leading independent college public opinion poll, the Marist Poll.

Lee Miringoff (Director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion), Barbara Carvalho (Director of the Marist Poll), and Jay DeDapper (Director of Innovation at the Marist Poll) dig deep to give you a look at the inner workings of polls and what they tell us about our world, our country, and ourselves.

The Supreme Court is back in session and the justices are hearing multiple cases whose outcomes could radically reshape the culture – abortion being the biggest. With the release of the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll, we investigate how the public feels about abortion – in particular, some extreme parts of the new Texas abortion law.

Social media is a huge part of how politicians talk to their constituents. But, the way politicians from each party talk on social media is incredibly different. The team discusses new information from Pew Research that helps quantify what many of us suspect: politics on social media is increasingly siloed by party.

And, for the first time ever, Lee steps aside to allow a special guest to host his Fun Fact segment. Harry Enten, Senior Data Reporter for CNN and Host of CNN’s new Margins of Error podcast, joins us with a fun fact – and a whole lot more!

About Poll Hub

Each week, Poll Hub goes behind the science to explain how polling works, what polls really show, and what the numbers really mean. Poll Hub is produced by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, home of America’s leading independent college public opinion poll, the Marist Poll.

Lee Miringoff (Director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion), Barbara Carvalho (Director of the Marist Poll), and Jay DeDapper (Director of Innovation at the Marist Poll) dig deep to give you a look at the inner workings of polls and what they tell us about our world, our country, and ourselves.

The team kicks off this episode discussing the data from our latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll. We go through everything from Biden’s approval rating to election fairness, from pandemic stress levels to vaccination mandates. What do our results mean and how do they stack up to what other polls are finding?

Pollsters like us have a rare opportunity to gauge the reliability of our surveys. When it comes to asking about the vaccination status of Americans, we can benchmark our data against the “hard” numbers reported by the CDC on the number of vaccinated Americans. Usually, the only opportunity to do this is an election. According to Pew Research’s recent analysis, public polling on the COVID-19 vaccination has aligned very closely with the CDC’s data.

Finally, we discuss one of the most controversial debates of our time. Do you prefer Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts? Or is it just Dunkin’ now….

About Poll Hub

Each week, Poll Hub goes behind the science to explain how polling works, what polls really show, and what the numbers really mean. Poll Hub is produced by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, home of America’s leading independent college public opinion poll, the Marist Poll.

Lee Miringoff (Director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion), Barbara Carvalho (Director of the Marist Poll), and Jay DeDapper (Director of Innovation at the Marist Poll) dig deep to give you a look at the inner workings of polls and what they tell us about our world, our country, and ourselves.