Recently, The New York Times ran a feature "How Top Pollsters Grade 2024’s Polls" that included Lee's analysis (and a sweet cartoon drawing of the legend himself!) and reached the conclusion, the polls were pretty damn accurate in 2024 despite the fact that most had Kamala Harris winning by a narrow margin. We discuss whether that's just wishful thinking or whether expectations have far outstripped what polls can do in our deeply 50-50 political world.

We follow with a segment discussing our latest poll results on the state of American democracy. We've been asking Americans about this for a few years and, this time Americans are the most hopeful they've been since the January 6th insurrection. And yet, a large majority are still worried.

Finally, should any American make more money than the president? If that question seems odd, perhaps that's because it's from 1939!

So-called May-December romances have been a standard feature in literature and movies...and life...forever. There are plenty of reasons for this but recently data has shown the age gaps narrowing. What's behind the change? Cognitive psychologist Dr. Haley Moss Dillon joins us to help us figure it out.

Before we get to that, though, we always do an end-of-year poll with some fun holiday questions and a bit more serious ones about what Americans are thinking going into the next year.

And our final fun fact for 2024...and the last in our three-month stretch of themed fun facts...brings us the things we DON'T like about the holiday season. Because it's not all sweets, treats, and gifts!

This week on Poll Hub, we take a peek behind the curtain of our latest national poll to find out how voters are feeling post-election. Do they like Trump's transition actions so far? What about Biden's pardon of his son Hunter?

Then, Dr. D. Graham Burnett of Princeton, The Strother School of Radical Attention, and by extension, the Friends of Attention, joins us to dig into the science behind our shrinking attention spans. Researchers were hopeful that media would have a positive effect, but data seems to indicate the opposite.

Is pie the MVP of the holiday season, or is it time to give something else a chance? You won't want to miss our *seasonal* fun fact!

Pollsters have been asking Americans about space for decades but the landscape -- spacescape? -- hasn't changed a lot. What began as a race to put a man in orbit between two superpowers has transformed into a race between private companies to make space travel cheap and easy. What do we think?

Back here on Earth, you've probably noticed a lot more electric vehicles on the road over the last few years. But for every Tesla, Bolt, and Ioniq, Americans are still buying far more gas and hybrid cars. What's the real future of EVs? Marist College Associate Professor of Environmental Science, Dr. Ramesh Laungani (@DrRamBio), joins us to drive us through the developments.

And, for our first December fun fact, we're regifting old polls for the season.

Finally, get ready for a spirited debate with our "all-star" lineup for this week's Fun Fact. It's destined to steal the spotlight away from the turkey...although there's a surprising twist from the biggest football lover of them all!

Right, left, center? What is the "mainstream media"? Turns out the right answer probably is, no longer in existence. Our own Kevin Lerner, Marist Department of Communication Chair and an expert in journalism history, joins to help us figure out what dramatic changes in media and news means for democracy.

Then, doctor-assisted suicide and euthanasia, have been controversial topics for decades, leading to ethical, religious, and medical debates. But, decades after Dr. Kevorkian put a name and face on the practices, they're much more widespread and accepted. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, bioethicist, oncologist, and professor at Penn, tells us why public opinion about the options is not really based on reality.

Finally, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, we compared our turkey cooking expertise. Whether you're a master chef or just hoping not to burn the house down, this week's fun fact will have you gobbling and ready for the holiday.

Now that the election returns are (mainly) in, the exit poll data is available, and the pundits have weighed in, we're asking what REALLY made the difference for Donald Trump on Election Day.

And that leads to a healthy discussion about whether most voters care more about issues or personalities.

Since that took most of the show, we then cut right to the chase. We're bringing themed fun facts back for the Thanksgiving season. Our stomachs were growling, and the turkeys were gobbling for this one.

The only time pollsters really know whether their work is accurate is on election days. This time around, the surprising outcome of the presidential race didn't mean the polls were off -- it's more of what we've come to expect in a 50-50 electorate. We're doing our first pass at this as we wait for full data to do a deeper dive.

Then, we finish with a fun fact that St. Louis residents might not love...

In this episode of Poll Hub, we dive into the fresh and final battleground numbers from Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Not only do these states form the so-called Blue Wall that any modern Democratic presidential candidate has to win, they're also home to three of the most competitive US Senate races. What do our final polls of these Great Lakes States reveal?

Then, our insider's guide to Election Night. As the results come in over the course of the night, which states and which districts are we watching? We'll give you the goods.

Finally, you may not be able to see it, but we have our costumes on! We bring the season to a close with our final spooky fun fact of the month! Joined by our former Poll Hub producer and creator of the spooky fun fact series, Athen Hollis, to help our hosts answer this scary question.

AND...Election Day is November 5th, so don't forget to vote!

We just released new numbers from the battleground states of Georgia, Arizona, and North Carolina. While very little has changed since our polls from those states a few weeks back, there is a striking finding when we look at how voters are thinking about non-Presidential races on some ballots.

Then, are authoritarian regimes really on the rise? We talk with author and professor @AnneMeng_ from @UVA about her research on the rise, or lack thereof, of far-right leaders around the world. Is the threat here in the U.S. real, inflated, or imaginary. Or all three?

Finally, Halloween is just one week away, and we stick with our theme and wrap the show with another frightening fun fact.