New year, new attitude? Apparently, not according to our latest poll showing Americans head into 2024 as pessimistic as we've ever seen them. Why so bummed, especially with a historically great economy? We have some thoughts.

Then, we ask if that sour mood will impact the 2024 election, which is well under way. What things are we going to be watching this year to better understand what happens in November?

Finally, the team breaks down their rather interesting New Years resolutions and look at an almost 100-year-old trend. Spoiler alert: It involves green grapes.

We had Poll an amazing 2023 filled with incredible guests, interesting (to us!) topics, and some crazy fun facts. What many people may not realize is also how our student producers transformed Poll Hub in this, our sixth, season.

To celebrate, the team is reminiscing on our most memorable moments and listening back to clips.

And, we end with one last fun fact for 2023. Would you rather head into an adventure with James Bond or Sherlock Holmes? What about Harry Potter or Lara Croft?

Our new poll with NPR and the PBS NewsHour goes deep into a bunch of issues, that in any normal presidential election year, would be getting a lot of attention: abortion, EVs, entitlement programs, funding wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, immigration, and more. But this isn't a normal election year...

Next, we're discussing new research on women in the workforce with Dr. Kristin Bayer, Chair of the History Department and the Director of the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program here at Marist.

And, just in time for Christmas, we have an extra fun fact. Is Santa a classical fan, an easy music listener, or a punk rocker?

Is marijuana public opinion changing? New York state has announced the opening of new dispensaries after several lawsuits, but does this show progress in approval nationwide?

Are standardized tests like the SATs becoming unnecessary in higher education? We have expert Cathy Engstrom on to discuss what the future holds for test requirements.

Finally, we end with a holiday fun fact for our Christmas lovers. What is your favorite part of the season?

Has the pandemic changed office attire for good? Data shows that dressing for the workplace has gotten much more casual, but not for everyone. There are gender and generational gaps. But, the business suit is, for all intents and purposes, mainly gone.

Then, do Americans value friendship? For several decades, some research has shown we've been steadily losing our social connections, but a new Pew Poll suggests something different. Most of us have a LOT of "close" friends.

And, we finish with a very odd question about the movies. It pits Disney against 007. Lee has a great explanation for the seemingly strange results.

Has the quality of life in New York gone down? Our latest New York State poll asks the question. How are the leaders of New York holding up? Are Hochul, Santos, Adams, and other politicians holding up to New Yorker's standards?

This week's episode ends on a special 'tis-the-season fun fact that will have you debating turkey or stuffing.

What's behind the interesting numbers we found on a growing isolationism in light of wars in Israel and Ukraine? We explore that, what Americans think of using government shutdowns as political weapons, and a growing belief that politicians -- not the system -- that's the problem with our politics.

Next we head back to a segment from a February episode about what, at the time, seemed like a new reality of out-of-control tipping. New data has been released and we're revisiting the topic of tipping.

And we finish with a fun fact that explores reincarnation! What animal would you want to be?

AI now has the ability to write convincing spam emails, mimic human voices, create false images and even videos. Have we entered a scary science fiction movie come to life?

Next, autonomous vehicles -- think driverless taxis -- are becoming more common in some cities, but do Americans really trust them? Timothy B. Lee from the Understanding AI newsletter joins us to discuss the implications of AI in vehicles.

And, we finish with the week's fun fact jumping back in time to see what people of the 60s thought about changes in technology. Were they scared or excited for the future we're now living in?

On October 25th, the deadliest shooting in Maine occurred in Lewiston. Since the attack, Maine politicians have been put in the hot seat over their opposition to gun control measures including an assault weapon ban. And one of them did shift his position. Is it the beginning of a change, or just an aberration in our never-changing, stalled debate on America's mass shooting epidemic?

Can a difference in a degree really shorten your life? New research looks at the difference between the life expectancies of those with college degrees and those without. The gap is shocking... and growing. One of the study's authors, Sir Angus Deaton, joins to break down what this says about our society and what it could mean for the future. See more on the research here.

We end with cryptids. What? Spooky animals unbeknownst to science, but very big in popular culture. Which is the best? This creepy fun fact crowns a cryptid.

More Americans than every fear crime is going up. But it's not. In fact, it's historically very low and, in most categories, fell quite a bit in 2022. Why the disconnect? We're digging into the data to see if Americans are equating crime with feelings of safety.

Then, in today’s job market, getting that first post-grad gig can be easier said than done. Many believe internships are a big plus and, while some data backs up that notion, does it therefore follow that colleges should require them? The Director of Marist College's Center for Civic Engagement and Learning, Dr. Melissa Gaeke, explains why this might not benefit all students.

And, we finish with our fun fact that asks a sort of weird question: what is your least favorite holiday? The answers may spook you!