Republicans generally agree that politicians should not enrich themselves while running the country. Yet most think it is okay for President Donald Trump to do so. Democrats largely support the idea of government-run healthcare. But their support plummets when they learn that Trump once backed the idea. At a time […] Read more »
Polling in the 2016 Election and What It Means Going Forward
The debate over what factors caused pollsters to err in 2016 is likely to continue for some time, as is the argument as to what extent the miss represents either a critical failure for the industry or simply a demonstration of overcertainty by pundits and forecasters. But regardless of the […] Read more »
Are Telephone Polls Understating Support for Trump?
Five months after Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 election, public opinion polls find him with the lowest approval ratings of any president in modern history at this stage of a presidency. Given the criticism of election polling in 2016, it is reasonable to ask if public opinion polls are […] Read more »
Democrats burned by polling blind spot
As they investigate the forces behind the party’s stunning losses in November, Democrats are coming to a troubling conclusion. The party didn’t just lose among rural white voters on Election Day, it may have failed to capture them in its pre-election polling as well. Many pollsters and strategists believe that […] Read more »
Bold Promises Fade to Doubts for a Trump-Linked Data Firm
Standing before political and business leaders in New York last fall, Alexander Nix promised a revolution. … Mr. Nix’s little-known firm, Cambridge Analytica, claimed to have developed something unique: “psychographic” profiles that could predict the personality and hidden political leanings of every American adult. “Of the two candidates left in the […] Read more »
How Question Wording Affects (Or Doesn’t Affect) Support For Trump’s Travel Ban
President Trump’s executive order banning travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. has been perhaps the most controversial act of his presidency so far. The order set off a firestorm of protests and numerous court challenges. But it’s still difficult to measure how many Americans support the […] Read more »