“Trainwreck,” “a mess,” “divided” — when I kick off every focus group to use a word to describe how the country is going, the words are always negative. “Tell me why no positive words?” I ask, even though after 25 years of moderating focus groups — and dozens of nights of groups this year alone — I’m now accustomed to voters’ pessimism. Once a client suggested we start the group by asking what was going well in the country, and participants struggled to come up with something. “Television?” one tentatively offered.
Despite their dour outlook, I still love hearing voters’ insights, their contradictions and even their jokes. …
But the role of a moderator has changed as the political environment has worsened. It’s not just pessimism — I now mediate disputes and comfort the grieving. And when voters evaluate candidates, they search for some of what they might also find in a focus group: reassurance that someone will listen to them. In this election cycle, with so much at stake, the lessons from focus groups were clearer than ever. CONTINUED
Margie Omero (GBAO), The Hill
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