Half of Public Has Heard Little or Nothing About the New COVID-19 Booster Aimed at Omicron

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Less than a month after the Food and Drug Administration authorized new COVID-19 booster shots that target both the omicron and original strains, public awareness is modest, a new KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor survey finds.

Half the public says they’ve heard either “a lot” (17%) or “some” (33%) about the new boosters, while the other half says they’ve heard “a little” or “nothing at all.” Older adults (ages 65 and up), who tend to be at greater risk for serious COVID-19 complications, are most likely to know about the new booster.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that all vaccinated adults and children ages 12 and up get the new bivalent vaccine, even if they received a previous booster. About half of vaccinated adults (49%) say that they know the new vaccine is recommended for people like them, two in five (40%) are not sure, and 11% say that it is not recommended. CONTINUED

Kaiser Family Foundation

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How to read polls like an expert — or, at least, not like a newbie

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With just over a month until the midterm elections, those paying attention to politics will see an increasing flurry of polling centered on individual contests or the broad trend of views of President Biden and how people plan to vote in House races. …

Having already suffered 13 bouts of apoplexy after seeing headlines misrepresent what a poll indicates about a race, I decided that I would cut to the chase and ask people who actually look at or conduct polls for a living to offer basic guidelines for their consumption. I asked each to give three tips for laypeople encountering a poll; being good with numbers, each came in at precisely three. CONTINUED

Philip Bump, Washington Post

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Americans’ Economic Pessimism Eases Slightly in September

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Despite the stock market having its worst month since March 2020, Americans’ confidence in the economy improved ever so slightly in September after a bigger improvement in August, but remains negative on balance.

The Gallup Economic Confidence Index ticked up to -35 in September after rising to -39 in August. That in turn was up from -51 in July and -58 in June. The improvement over this period most likely reflects Americans feeling less of a pinch from inflation as gas prices retreated from record highs and the already low unemployment rate dipped further to pre-pandemic levels. CONTINUED

Lydia Saad, Gallup

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Supreme Court Seen As Out Of Touch

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The U.S. Supreme Court begins its new session on Monday with a majority of Americans saying it is out of touch with the country. The Monmouth University Poll finds that decidedly negative views of the court which formed after news leaked about the Dobbs abortion decision continue to hold. The poll also finds widespread support for setting term limits for justices, but few Americans back expanding the size of the court.

About 6 in 10 Americans (59%) say the current Supreme Court is out of touch with the values and beliefs of most Americans. Just one-third (34%) say the court is in touch with the public. Most Democrats (83%) and independents (62%) feel the court is out of touch, while just 32% of Republicans agree. …

Currently, 54% of the American public disapproves of the job the Supreme Court is doing, compared with 37% who approve. Disapproval moved into majority territory after news leaked in May of the impending abortion decision. CONTINUED

Monmouth University Polling Institute

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How Democrats and Republicans are courting Hispanic and Latino voters ahead of midterms

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This year, Latino voters will be critical in deciding a number of key races that could determine the balance of power in Congress. For years, they have voted solidly Democratic, but the preferences of this diverse group are shifting. Progressive pollster Carlos Odio and Republican strategist Mike Madrid join Laura Barrón-López to discuss.

PBS NewsHour

Wisconsin: Senate race shifts in Johnson’s favor

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Republican Sen. Ron Johnson moves ahead in the Wisconsin Senate race, as more voters express concern that Democrat Mandela Barnes’ views are too extreme. A new Fox News survey of Wisconsin registered voters finds Johnson preferred over his Democratic challenger by 4 points: 44% Barnes vs. 48% Johnson. Last month, it was Barnes who was up by 4 (50-46%). …

Preservation of American democracy (24%), inflation (20%), and abortion (16%) are the most important issues to voters in the Senate race. Voters prioritizing inflation prefer Johnson by a wide margin, while Barnes is the pick among abortion voters and those focusing on protecting U.S. democracy.

The Wisconsin governor’s race is tied, with incumbent Democrat Tony Evers and Republican Tim Michels receiving 47% apiece. Last month, Evers was up by 3 points, 49-46%. CONTINUED

Dana Blanton, Fox News

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