Poll Hub

A new class of weight loss drugs have the potential to dramatically improve the health of hundreds of millions of obese and overweight people. But they're costly, require forever use, and do not have long track records of safety. What do Americans think of these new drugs? Then, pollsters often ask Americans who they're going to vote for. Some also ask about candidates and babysitting or bungee ju...

New year, new attitude? Apparently, not according to our latest poll showing Americans head into 2024 as pessimistic as we've ever seen them. Why so bummed, especially with a historically great economy? We have some thoughts. Then, we ask if that sour mood will impact the 2024 election, which is well under way. What things are we going to be watching this year to better understand what happens in...

We had Poll an amazing 2023 filled with incredible guests, interesting (to us!) topics, and some crazy fun facts. What many people may not realize is also how our student producers transformed Poll Hub in this, our sixth, season. To celebrate, the team is reminiscing on our most memorable moments and listening back to clips. And, we end with one last fun fact for 2023. Would you rather head into a...

Our new poll with NPR and the PBS NewsHour goes deep into a bunch of issues, that in any normal presidential election year, would be getting a lot of attention: abortion, EVs, entitlement programs, funding wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, immigration, and more. But this isn't a normal election year... Next, we're discussing new research on women in the workforce with Dr. Kristin Bayer , Chair...

Is marijuana public opinion changing? New York state has announced the opening of new dispensaries after several lawsuits, but does this show progress in approval nationwide? Are standardized tests like the SATs becoming unnecessary in higher education? We have expert Cathy Engstrom on to discuss what the future holds for test requirements. Finally, we end with a holiday fun fact for our Christmas...

Has the pandemic changed office attire for good? Data shows that dressing for the workplace has gotten much more casual, but not for everyone. There are gender and generational gaps. But, the business suit is, for all intents and purposes, mainly gone. Then, do Americans value friendship? For several decades, some research has shown we've been steadily losing our social connections, but a new Pew...

Has the quality of life in New York gone down? Our latest New York State poll asks the question. How are the leaders of New York holding up? Are Hochul, Santos, Adams, and other politicians holding up to New Yorker's standards? This week's episode ends on a special 'tis-the-season fun fact that will have you debating turkey or stuffing.

What's behind the interesting numbers we found on a growing isolationism in light of wars in Israel and Ukraine? We explore that, what Americans think of using government shutdowns as political weapons, and a growing belief that politicians -- not the system -- that's the problem with our politics. Next we head back to a segment from a February episode about what, at the time, seemed like a new re...

AI now has the ability to write convincing spam emails, mimic human voices, create false images and even videos. Have we entered a scary science fiction movie come to life? Next, autonomous vehicles -- think driverless taxis -- are becoming more common in some cities, but do Americans really trust them? Timothy B. Lee from the Understanding AI newsletter joins us to discuss the implications of AI...

On October 25th, the deadliest shooting in Maine occurred in Lewiston. Since the attack, Maine politicians have been put in the hot seat over their opposition to gun control measures including an assault weapon ban. And one of them did shift his position. Is it the beginning of a change, or just an aberration in our never-changing, stalled debate on America's mass shooting epidemic? Can a differen...

More Americans than every fear crime is going up. But it's not. In fact, it's historically very low and, in most categories, fell quite a bit in 2022. Why the disconnect? We're digging into the data to see if Americans are equating crime with feelings of safety. Then, in today’s job market, getting that first post-grad gig can be easier said than done. Many believe internships are a big plus and,...

Third party candidates have a mixed history of swaying elections towards one candidate over another. Ross Perot and Jill Stein are fairly recent examples of candidates who may have swung elections but is RFK Jr. in their league? Our new polling with NPR and the PBS NewsHour suggests he might be, but not necessarily in the way you might think. Then, luck of the lotto has a strong appeal for many Am...

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....