The War in Afghanistan: Reassessment, Eight Years On

Significant public compunctions mark the eighth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan – more a gradual shift in Americans’ attitudes than a sudden change, but a reassessment nonetheless, one that in many ways reflects the administration’s own. It’s underway elsewhere,...

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October 6, 2009 in Iraq/Afghanistan Wars | Permalink | User Comments (1)

In Autism Studies, Keep an Eye on the Definition

2:15 p.m. update: I've invited thoughts on this post from Stephen J. Blumberg, one of the study's co-authors, and I'm grateful for his quick reply, which I'm pasting directly below my comments. A new study on the level of “autism...

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October 5, 2009 in Problem Polls | Permalink | User Comments (0)

Beyond Unemployment, the Damage Resonates

The employment numbers released today underscore what an ugly time it is for the American workforce – a reality that, as our polling shows, resonates beyond the economy to the health care debate, politics and public health alike. September’s unemployment,...

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October 2, 2009 in Economy | Permalink | User Comments (10)

Abortion Support: A Trend Away?

The Pew Research Center’s out today with poll results indicating a decline in support for legal abortion this year. Consistency may be the hobgoblin of little minds, as Emerson said, but I’d still like to see more of it behind...

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October 1, 2009 in Social Issues | Permalink | User Comments (8)

Polling on the Chicago Olympics: Let the Games Begin

Whether or not it wins the 2016 Olympics tomorrow, Chicago’s organizing committee for the games has dropped the baton in an early event of no small significance: transparency. Transparency, in this case, in the reporting of polling data – not...

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October 1, 2009 in Problem Polls | Permalink | User Comments (2)

Guest Blog: More on the Problems with Opt-in Internet Surveys

In a Sept. 1 post I reported on a groundbreaking study by a team of researchers led by David Yeager and Prof. Jon Krosnick of Stanford University, finding significant data quality problems in surveys of people who sign up to...

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September 28, 2009 in Problem Polls | Permalink | User Comments (2)

Health Reform Challenge: Seniors and their Medicare

Fresh controversy over the impact of health care reform on Medicare underscores one of the Obama administration’s steepest challenges in promoting its plan: Getting seniors on the bus. Americans 65 and over long have been among those most critical of...

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September 24, 2009 in Health Care | Permalink | User Comments (17)

Research Group Censures an '08 Primary Pollster

The country’s leading association of public opinion researchers issued a rare censure today, saying an Atlanta-based pollster, Strategic Vision, had violated its code of professional conduct by failing to release basic disclosure of its methodology in 2008 pre-election surveys. The...

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September 23, 2009 in Problem Polls | Permalink | User Comments (2)

Obama's Strong Disapproval

A debate’s alight on why disapproval of Barack Obama has become so unusually strong. The answer: It hasn’t. Three of the last four presidents have seen this level of strong unpopularity – one of them faster; another, far deeper. After...

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September 16, 2009 in President Obama | Permalink | User Comments (12)

Afghanistan Troop Boost Looks Unpopular

Most Americans are unlikely to cotton to Admiral Mike Mullen’s testimony today that more U.S. troops probably will be needed in Afghanistan: Only about a quarter of the public favors increasing the levels of U.S. forces there, and 51 percent...

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September 15, 2009 in Iraq/Afghanistan Wars | Permalink | User Comments (2)