Poll Hub

Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel in what is being termed "Israel's 9/11." The terrorist attacks on civilians, including barbaric killings of children and a massacre at a music festival, have shocked the world. In the past, Americans have not had strong opinions on the conflict in the Middle East. But the most recent polling, from just before the attacks, showed Democrats have growing sup...

Our new poll with NPR and the PBS NewsHour is out and the data covers how Americans feel about the Republican candidates, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and the legal battles of both. The results show Americans making an interesting comparison. Then, a silly question considering you're reading this: Are you a fan of podcasts? More and more Americans are but, with their success, comes a common modern med...

First, writers and actors walked out in Hollywood and now auto workers are picketing car factories. The companies involved have noted how much these strikes cost Americans in terms of missing entertainment and potentially higher car prices, but a majority of Americans appear to be on the side of the strikers. Maybe more so now than at any time in past half-century. Then, new research shows there a...

Federal government shutdowns are new, but they've become increasingly common as our politics has become ever-more polarized. But shutdowns during Clinton, Obama, and Trump all reflected much more poorly on one party. If House Speaker Kevin McCarthy shuts things down, will he help seal his party's fate in 2024? Then, Americans are heading to the altar much less often than we did just a few decades...

Affirmative action has been overturned, so... what now? Barbara Mistick (@barbaramistick), president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, joins the team to discuss what this could mean for the future of colleges, diversity levels, and the job applicant pool. Is parenting harder now than it was 20 years ago? New data says parents think it is. Dr. Kathleen Vigil, pro...

Age. A tricky topic, especially in politics. A lot is being made of Joe Biden's age, but also that of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator Diane Feinstein, and Donald Trump. Polls show Americans want younger leaders but...they keep electing old ones. Maybe it's not just about age... Then, a new paper by some polling industry researchers has us asking their question: Are we asking the wr...

Joe Biden ran on a platform of dealing with the huge burden of student debt that impacts tens of millions of Americans -- many in their 30s and 40s. But now that the courts have killed his cancellation plan, will the administration's latest plan for trying to limit the damage so much debt is doing to families and the economy as a whole, actually work? And where do Americans land on these questions...

This has been a summer defined by extreme weather events. Record-breaking heat, deadly wildfires, intense hurricanes, unprecedented rainfall, devastating floods, and more. If all these symptoms of climate change have you worried, you're not alone. We talk with Dr. Steven Taylor about how the changing climate is leading to heightened anxiety, especially among younger people. Then, fast fashion bran...

Our latest poll is out, and we're breaking down the data on Trump's legal woes, Biden's approval rating, and the 2024 election. Then, we're switching gears to something more otherworldly... aliens. With the latest House hearings on ETs, we are looking at Americans' very weird and somewhat confounding views on such questions as, have aliens visited, are UFOs spaceships, and is the U.S. Government c...

One of the most prominent culture war issues of our time is also one of the most dangerous...for kids. Transgender health care and rights are front and center in our political debate and, recently, conservatives have moved to focus on trans kids. We look at where Americans land in this discussion and dig into how schools are - and aren't - helping the children they're supposed to be educating and...

We begin by looking at the results of our new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll. A majority of Americans agree that climate change is affecting their communities--whether from wildfire smoke, blazing temperatures, or disastrous floods. However, since 2018, the number of Americans who think climate change is a major problem or should take precedence over economic growth has decreased. We discuss why tha...

Barbie is the hottest movie of the summer AND a battle in the culture wars. For this segment, we kicked the men out of the studio so the women on our team could talk about the journey Mattel's doll has made throughout the years. The intergenerational panel talks about the movie's themes of gender roles and feminist perspectives. And, as the movie faces mixed reviews, we hear reactions from the wom...

Most Americans believe that it is the government's responsibility to ensure the safety of the food they eat. Yet, opinion divides about whether or not these institutions have the best interest of the public in mind. With the World Health Organization's recent concerns about Aspartame, a common sweetener present in some of our food and drinks, individuals may be more likely to set aside diet sodas....

Between the floods in NY and New England, the vast and historic heat wave across the Southwest, Canadian forest fire smoke creating historically bad air quality, and the earth having multiple back-to-back hottest days in recorded history all over the past month , you might not think climate change is still an issue. But, you’d be wrong. Still, a LOT has changed in how Americans think about it sinc...

A majority of Americans agree that teachers should be the ones responsible for setting school curriculum. However, book bans and laws prohibiting teachers from discussing content related to racial and LGBTQ+ issues highlight how politicians are getting directly involved in the education system. Public opinion shows parents think that the government has much more important responsibilities in prote...

This special edition of Poll Hub represents a break from our past 299 episodes, not only because our student producers researched and wrote it all, but also because we focus on a single topic. We have special segments on earworms, one-hit wonders, and Americans' view of rock music, plus all this: We start with "Why music?" How did a podcast that covers public opinion and survey science end up with...

We start out by taking a look at the results of the new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll that was released Friday. The majority of Americans believe that Trump has either done something illegal or unethical. Republicans, on the other hand, still have a very favorable impression of Trump. It means he still likely has the inside line to the nomination, but other data in the poll suggests he would have a...

Many Americans have said the economy is in a recession for almost a year, but it's not. And, economic data shows that things are actually pretty good and/or getting better in terms of unemployment, income, and inflation. Why the disconnect? It's the same for crime – even though crime rates have generally been dropping for decades, a majority of Americans have said, in most years, it's getting wors...

The public health emergencies for COVID are largely over around the world and by nearly all accounts, people in most places are living like they did pre-pandemic. Yet, scientists warn the pandemic is not really over and plenty of risk from variants and new viruses remains. Did we learn anything from last three years? Or are we just happy to have gotten through it? Then, President Joe Biden and Hou...

We start with a deep dive into the data of our new poll with NPR and the PBS NewsHour. Americans favor the Biden position of raising the debt limit separately from any discussion about spending cuts, but, if default happens, they would pretty much blame both sides equally.   Then, friend-of-the-poll and longtime Texas journalist John Sparks joins us in studio to help us understand if national Demo...

Since the start of the COVID pandemic, data shows more young people are choosing to skip college. High tuition costs and a very strong job market are partly driving this but, if it continues, will those who passed on college suffer over the long term? And, how can the economy deal with fewer skilled workers? Next, how much do you recycle? Polls show Americans are very pro-recycling and many of us...

A new book called Culture Shock explores how the pandemic affected the workplace and offers data-backed solutions to employers grappling with the new normal: Workers reluctant to come back to office full-time and employers desperate to fill those desks. Gallup's Jim Harter and Jim Clifton wrote the book and Harter joins us to discuss. A new Washington Post/ABC News poll shows Biden with a new low...

While marijuana is still federally illegal, it's legal in nearly every state for recreational or medical use -- or both. But new health studies raise the question, have states moved too far, too fast? We look at both public opinion data showing a lightning-fast change in public opinion and scientific research showing pot may not be as benign as many think.   Then, our star team of student producer...

First the team dives into the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll. It covers everything from Trump and Biden to abortion. We asked a lot of questions and we're breaking down all the results. For decades, the employment gap between black workers and white workers has always favored white workers, but is this gap shrinking? Guest Valerie Wilson @ValerieRWilson joins us to talk about a new study show...

Axios recently ran a piece looking at Gallup Poll data showing 49% of Americans identify as independents -- a big increase over the past decade. But...is this really accurate? The Washington Post's Phillip Bump and Charles Franklin from the Marquette Poll have serious doubts. We'll explain why the Gallup data isn't really the issue.   Next, has the pandemic made workers lazy? New data shows that w...