Poll Hub

Recently, The New York Times ran a feature "How Top Pollsters Grade 2024’s Polls" that included Lee's analysis (and a sweet cartoon drawing of the legend himself!) and reached the conclusion, the polls were pretty damn accurate in 2024 despite the fact that most had Kamala Harris winning by a narrow margin. We discuss whether that's just wishful thinking or whether expectations have far outstrippe...

So-called May-December romances have been a standard feature in literature and movies...and life...forever. There are plenty of reasons for this but recently data has shown the age gaps narrowing. What's behind the change? Cognitive psychologist Dr. Haley Moss Dillon joins us to help us figure it out. Before we get to that, though, we always do an end-of-year poll with some fun holiday questions a...

This week on Poll Hub, we take a peek behind the curtain of our latest national poll to find out how voters are feeling post-election. Do they like Trump's transition actions so far? What about Biden's pardon of his son Hunter? Then,  Dr. D. Graham Burnett  of Princeton,  The Strother School of Radical Attention , and by extension, the  Friends of Attention , joins us to dig into the science behin...

Pollsters have been asking Americans about space for decades but the landscape -- spacescape? -- hasn't changed a lot. What began as a race to put a man in orbit between two superpowers has transformed into a race between private companies to make space travel cheap and easy. What do we think? Back here on Earth, you've probably noticed a lot more electric vehicles on the road over the last few ye...

Finally, get ready for a spirited debate with our "all-star" lineup for this week's Fun Fact. It's destined to steal the spotlight away from the turkey...although there's a surprising twist from the biggest football lover of them all!

Right, left, center? What is the "mainstream media"? Turns out the right answer probably is, no longer in existence. Our own Kevin Lerner, Marist Department of Communication Chair and an expert in journalism history, joins to help us figure out what dramatic changes in media and news means for democracy. Then, doctor-assisted suicide and euthanasia, have been controversial topics for decades, lead...

Now that the election returns are (mainly) in, the exit poll data is available, and the pundits have weighed in, we're asking what REALLY made the difference for Donald Trump on Election Day. And that leads to a healthy discussion about whether most voters care more about issues or personalities. Since that took most of the show, we then cut right to the chase. We're bringing themed fun facts back...

The only time pollsters really know whether their work is accurate is on election days. This time around, the surprising outcome of the presidential race didn't mean the polls were off -- it's more of what we've come to expect in a 50-50 electorate. We're doing our first pass at this as we wait for full data to do a deeper dive. Then, we finish with a fun fact that St. Louis residents might not lo...

In this episode of Poll Hub, we dive into the fresh and final battleground numbers from Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Not only do these states form the so-called Blue Wall that any modern Democratic presidential candidate has to win, they're also home to three of the most competitive US Senate races. What do our final polls of these Great Lakes States reveal? Then, our insider's guide to...

We just released new numbers from the battleground states of Georgia, Arizona, and North Carolina. While very little has changed since our polls from those states a few weeks back, there is a striking finding when we look at how voters are thinking about non-Presidential races on some ballots. Then, are authoritarian regimes really on the rise? We talk with author and professor @AnneMeng_ from @UV...

For decades, there's been a difference between how men and women vote. Not only which candidates they choose but how many register to vote and then show up at the polls. These so-called gender gaps are wider than ever. We take a look at recent polling data to explore why the political gulf between men and women is growing. Then, we explore the potential of year-round schooling in America. Dr. Caro...

This week, we take a closer look at fresh polling from the battleground states of Florida, Ohio, and Texas, where numbers might indicate closer races than expected...especially in these three states' critical senate races. Then, a recent @WSJ piece revealed how certain regions of the United States have become increasingly reliant on federal funding like Social Security, Medicare, or grants. We're...

This week on Poll Hub, we have two new polls for you! How do New Yorkers feel about Mayor Eric Adams and his federal indictment? Should he stay or should he go? Plus, we dive into the data from our brand-new national poll on the Presidential race with our partners NPR and PBS. Spoiler alert! The gender gap is incredible! Then, the two in our twofer, we continue talking with Marist College Presiden...

Higher education has been in the news A LOT lately between protests, student loan debt, and questions about the value of a degree. Amidst this, confidence in colleges and universities has been shrinking among Americans. To shed some light on the issue, we brought in two Marist seniors for our interview of Marist College President Kevin Weinman. They have some tough questions and Weinman has a part...

While Donald Trump and plenty of Republicans have argued American elections are rife with fraud, numerous investigations (including some funded and directed by Trump-aligned individuals) have, over the years, shown it to be vanishingly rare in this country. But, election fraud IS real in some democracies around the world. What's the truth about election fraud versus voter fraud? Dr. Melissa Gaeke...

Did Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump accomplish what they needed to do in Tuesday night's debate? We break down the key moments from the matchup and look ahead to what's next for the Harris and Trump campaigns. Then, where does the presidential contest stand? We provide expert analysis of the shifts in candidate support, according to the new NPR/PBS News/Marist nation...

Public opinion polls taken just after Labor Day in presidential election years are, perhaps surprisingly, VERY accurate in predicting the winner on Election Day...of the popular vote at least. So, despite a very noisy and busy two month stretch to the finish, the history of polling indicates what we see now is most likely what we'll get in November. Then, gender dysphoria is on the rise among Amer...

We explore the shift from the Great Resignation to the Big Creation, where millions of Americans have quit their jobs, not just because they are unhappy, but to pursue better opportunities or even start their own businesses. We talk to Jim Garter from Gallup to see what this movement could mean for the future of work in the U.S. Then, we look at the resurgence of nuclear energy with Marist College...

The Democratic National Convention has been picture-perfect for the party, injecting a lot of energy into the race just as Kamala Harris pulls ahead in most national polls. But the big question remains: can they count on a post-convention bounce? At the same time, Project 2025 — a “comprehensive blueprint designed for the next conservative administration" — has become a weapon for Democrats and a...

When you think of Botox, your mind may wander to aging Hollywood stars who've become strange versions of their younger selves. But data shows Botox isn't just for people with wrinkles any longer. Botox is trending for pre-wrinkled younger people, and it may be a mixed bag. Then, who's using cannabis? Since the drug has been legalized in most of America, we wanted to know how it's going. R. Lorrain...

Kamala Harris has picked Tim Walz as her running mate and the DNC is right around the corner. The race is on and our new poll with NPR and PBS News shows things have changed quite a bit since Joe Biden left the race. Then, speaking of vice presidential candidates, JD Vance's comments about "childless cat ladies" has made waves. Plenty of people were offended but there is truth to the notion that t...

We're asking a crucial question: Is it news or nonsense? With more people getting their news from social media platforms and AI-produced visuals flooding the zone, there is a lot of room for misinformation. This week, we bring Marist Journalism professor Kevin Lerner back on the show to help us break down how to spot misinformation and find credible news sources. Then, tens of millions of American...

Joe Biden ended his campaign and Kamala Harris very quickly became the almost-certain Democratic nominee. The next day, we asked Americans in a one-day survey with NPR and PBS News what they thought. The results say a lot but we're also discussing why a one-day poll can tell us only so much. Then, the COVID pandemic exposed deep flaws in our country's nursing homes, but what is being done to fix t...

The Republican National Convention is over and the assassination attempt on Donald Trump is already fading from the headlines, so what to make of the next set of polls? Our NPR/PBS News survey released last week helps show why you probably shouldn't read too much into the next set of polls...even ours! Next, we're looking at cryptocurrency. You've probably heard of Bitcoin but, if you're like many...

There has been a whirlwind of post-debate polling around Biden vs. Trump, but how accurate are they? We have @FiveThirtyEight's @gelliottmorris on with us to sort the good from the bad...and all the in-between. Next, natural disasters only seem to be increasing with climate change, but are we prepared to give people warnings about them? We have @k_e_gray @unewhaven on to talk about our potential v...