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12/20: At What Age Should Children Have Cell Phones?

If the youngster in your life is begging you for a cell phone this holiday season, try this one on for size.  The average age Americans believe is appropriate for a child to acquire his or her first cell phone is approximately 14 years old. Regardless of age, region, gender, or whether one has children […]

12/20: Kids and Cell Phones

By John Sparks When should a child be given his/her own cell phone?  Who is the phone really for — the parent or the child?  What rules and restrictions should be placed on the phone’s use? The Marist Poll’s John Sparks speaks with Marist Poll Contributor Carol Ann Riddell about the plusses and minuses of […]

5/30: Don’t Cell Out!

By Dr. Lee M. Miringoff It should be the battle cry of all pollsters and poll watchers interested in accuracy when it comes to presidential polling.  The problems of reaching cell phone only respondents are well documented.  But, measurements of the Obama-Romney horse race that rely solely on landline households do so at great peril. […]

6/12: Cell Phone Nation

If you enter any public space these days, the number of people chatting on their cell phones might make you think nearly everyone owns a wireless device.  According to this Marist Poll, that’s not far from the case.  87% of U.S. residents say they own a cell phone.  Among Americans with jobs, the figure is […]

We Should Hang Out More

Movies often serve as perfect time capsules, offering snapshots of what life was like in an earlier time. Take Dazed and Confused. The movie is set in late seventies Texas and focuses on groups of high schoolers coming of age while driving around in cars, hanging out with their friends, and generally navigating that particularly […]

5/28: Top 10 Reasons Why Polls Should Not be Used to Determine Eligibility for Debates

By Dr. Lee M. Miringoff Herding is for horses.  Not for pollsters doing horserace polls. Neither should the media herd the field in a political horserace via debates.  Why?  Here is my take on the… TOP 10 REASONS WHY POLLS SHOULD NOT BE USED TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY FOR DEBATES (OR WHERE’S DAVID LETTERMAN WHEN YOU […]

9/9: There’s Nothing Wrong with the Margin of Error that a Little Understanding Won’t Cure

By Dr. Lee M. Miringoff Next time you hear a media report on a public poll, who’s ahead in an election or the approval rating of an elected official, you’re also likely to be told about the poll’s so-called margin of error.  Don’t jump to any hasty conclusions about some mistake that was made in […]

12/4: Almost Two-Thirds Expect Another Storm

The toll of Hurricane Sandy surprised many in New York City, but residents are bracing for another hit.  64% of residents believe it is likely or very likely the city will face another weather emergency of Sandy’s strength in the next year.  This includes 21% who say it is very likely and 43% who report […]

1/3: Pollster Spin for Wednesday Morning

By Dr. Lee M. Miringoff Dear Pollsters, Pols, and Press, As you head to New Hampshire, I thought I’d save you time by providing a little pre-caucus, post-caucus pollster spin. Case #1: Why our Iowa polls were actually very, very accurate really. 1.       We interviewed over 3,000 people to eventually distill the number down to […]

9/30: Polls, Polls Everywhere

By Dr. Lee M. Miringoff Don’t be thrown by a recent flurry of New York State polls on the governor’s contest between “The Son also Rises” Andrew Cuomo and “I’ll clean up Albany with a baseball bat” Carl Paladino.  Is Cuomo ahead by 6 points (Quinnipiac) or 33 points (Siena), or somewhere in between, 19 […]