Poll Hub

Poll Hub


The Kavanaugh Effect

October 05, 2018


The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll has been closely tracking Americans’ opinions of the testimonies of Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. But, beyond the sexual harassment allegations and the FBI investigation, are there implications for the midterm elections? We take a look at the latest poll numbers.


Plus it’s a poll controversy (no not a political scandal) in New Jersey. Why did the Stockton University Poll draw fire for its latest survey of the New Jersey Senate race between Robert Menendez (D) and Bob Hugin (R)? Was the criticism warranted? Our expert team provides its assessment.


And we’re getting extra wonky this week. The Marist Poll is not immune from criticism. The Poll Hub team directly addresses the argument that we should weight our polls by education level and shares the results of a research experiment. Was there a difference when The Marist Poll weighted its recent surveys of Missouri, Tennessee, and Indiana by education? You’ll have to listen to find out.


About Poll Hub


Poll Hub goes behind the science to explain how polling works, what polls really show, and what the numbers really mean. Poll Hub is produced by The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, home of America’s leading independent college public opinion poll, The Marist Poll. Lee Miringoff (Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion), Barbara Carvalho (Director of The Marist Poll), and Jay DeDapper (Director of Innovation at The Marist Poll) dig deep to give you a look at the inner workings of polls and what they tell us about our world, our country, and ourselves.