6/2: MIPO Crowns Photo Caption Winner

The votes have been tallied (something at which we are adept), and The Marist Poll has declared a winner in its photo caption contest! Last month, MIPO asked you to caption the attached photo of Dr. Lee M. Miringoff and President Barack Obama at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. And, many of you joined […]

9/12: The Role of Public Polls

By Dr. Lee M. Miringoff This NYC primary season brought both an anticipated “poll-iferation” and an equally expected questioning of the reliability of public polls.  With the first round of 2013 citywide voting now over and primary day in our rear view mirror, let’s assess how the public polls fared.  (Helpful hint: we adhere to principles of transparency.  If […]

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 […]

7/23: Same Old, Same Old?

By Dr. Lee M. Miringoff The latest McClatchy-Marist national poll has nothing but bad news for President Obama and Congress.  Surprising? Not really.  It’s more of the same….only more so.  Six months into his second term, President Obama’s approval rating is at a two-year low at 41%.  His GOP counterparts in Congress are scraping bottom at […]

1/25: The Agenda for President Obama’s Second Term

By John Sparks Since presidents elected to a second term don’t have to worry about re-election, they are freed from political considerations and can press however hard they wish to accomplish their goals.  What are President Obama’s priorities for his second term?  The Marist Poll’s John Sparks talks with political columnist Carl Leubsdorf who writes a […]

11/1 Undecided Voters in the 2012 Presidential Election

In Presidential elections some people will always vote for the Democrat and some will always vote for the Republican.  But, there’s that group of people in the middle who make up their mind as the campaign moves toward Election Day that often decides who wins.  The exact proportion of undecided voters varies from campaign to […]

8/29: Getting a Bounce?

By Dr. Lee M. Miringoff The GOP convention is (finally) off and running followed next week by the Democratic gathering.  With Obama and Romney closely matched at the start of these two quadrennial events, as they have been since Romney emerged as the presumptive GOP nominee, what should we expect poll number-wise once the final gavel […]

7/11: But Wait, There’s More

By Dr. Lee M. Miringoff Are you in search of the definitive narrative for decision ’12?  Each time something BIG happens…an Obama or a Romney gaffe, the SCOTUS ruling on immigration or health care, the latest jobs numbers etc… the pundit and polling communities pounce on it as the storyline for the election. Well, chattering […]

6/27: From the Survey to the Trail

By Dr. Lee M. Miringoff Sure. Early public polls both national and state are open to the charge of not being predictive.  National polls carry the added burden of not necessarily reflecting the electoral college state-by-state vote. Now, if you don’t want to be a public poll-tracker but are interested in the ups and downs […]

5/30: It’ll Still Be the Economy, But Maybe We’re Just a Little Dense

By Barbara Carvalho Every 20 years or so something punches through the chattering class, and its shelf-life seems timeless.  For an earlier generation, “What did the president know, and when did he know it?” took the crown, followed by Carter’s “Malaise,” and perhaps, Reagan’s “I am paying for this microphone” proclamation.  Since then, the classic, […]