Public Opinion Strategies https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html Check out the 2026 Midterm Elections Overview by Partner Bill McInturff Political Clients “The GOP’s biggest 2026 risk may be hiding in plain sight” Leadership Nicole McCleskey The latest NBC News poll shows remarkably stable results on political attitudes 8 months out from the midterm elections. Also covered is a first image check on a handful of Democratic candidates for 2028, new data on voting, military action in Iran, and artificial intelligence. Staff 10 Consequential Slides of 2025 The Loneliness Epidemic Part 4: Younger Women and the Breakdown of Societal Norms Why We Are Different George Nassar The Loneliness Epidemic Part 3: Our Online Lives and Loneliness Our recent national survey shows that there is a loneliness epidemic sweeping across the nation. Check out Part 1: America the Lonely Talking to Greg Ip in the Wall Street Journal, Partner Micah Roberts wisely puts concerns about AI into context of the broader increase in distrust we consistently see in polling. With the government re-opening today, here is some important historical context. Yes, Democrats have seen an improvement on the generic ballot DURING previous shutdowns. But, once the shutdown is over, the generic ballot has historically bounced back to where it was PRIOR to the shutdown. Bill McInturff The Loneliness Epidemic Part 2: Loneliness and Gender In this era of political politicization, Republicans are a good bit more likely than Democrats to have friends on the other side of the aisle. Micah Roberts One reason the Mamdani win in New York City is not a huge surprise? Nationally, Democrats now give capitalism a net negative rating for the first time in our tracking (25% favorable/45% unfavorable). That is a net 38 point drop from 2018. History does not repeat, but it does rhyme. Six years after AOC toppled one giant of New York politics, Zohran Mamdani is poised to do the same. Notably, Mamdani’s national image at this point in his political career is almost exactly the same as AOC’s image nationally at the outset of her career in politics. Only in New York can a 34 year old political candidate from the fringe of their party garner national name ID in the 70% range. In a remarkable shift, a majority of Americans now say a college degree is not worth the cost. This shift is driven by Republicans, but even half of Democrats now say a four-year degree is not worth the cost. We could see very high turnout in key races tonight. 66% of voters in the latest NBC News poll say they are “very interested” in the election NEXT November. That is the highest ever in in the off-year before a midterm election. Stunningly, the 66% number is higher than what we measured just a few weeks before the 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 midterm elections. Gene Ulm The latest CNBC All-America Economic Survey of 1000 adults that fielded July 29-August 3 shows: Economic tracking data is stable to trending in a positive direction. President Trump’s overall (46%) and economic (45%) approval ratings have held steady since April. The Democratic Party’s image rating (22% Positive-55% Negative) sits at the worst ever recorded of either party in CNBC or NBC News surveys, with less than half (46%) of self-identified Democrats holding a positive view of the Democratic Party. A First Look at the 2026 Election Cycle The latest NBC News poll finds that fewer than 30% of voters have a positive view of the Democratic party. The GOP holds strong advantages over Democrats on border security, immigration broadly, and dealing with crime. 42% of voters blame Democrats in Congress for the shutdown, compared to 25% for Republicans, and 24% for President Trump. Additionally, a record high 79% of voters say they use social media daily. Elizabeth Harrington A succinct summation from partner Bill McInturff in Ron Brownstein’s piece on redefining the swing voter. “A swing voter today is one who does or does not show up to vote,” says McInturff. Read more below: What do Americans find morally acceptable or morally wrong?  What’s changed over time? Triads Bulletin Board Discussion Groups The latest CNBC national survey of adults finds that as the government shutdown stretches on, economic optimism has dropped slightly. However, preference for who controls Congress after the next election has narrowed from +5 Democrat-control to +1 Democrat-control and a majority (51%) of adults continue to approve of President Trump’s handling of the southern border. Glen Bolger The latest CNBC All America Economic Survey reveals majorities of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the southern border and deportations. Corporate/Public Affairs Clients Patrick Lanne Neil Newhouse Caitlin Reed Jarrett Lewis Campaigns About Us About Us Perception Analyzer Dial Groups Real-Time Online Focus Groups The latest NBC News poll finds President Trump matching his historic high job approval and setting a new high positive personal image rating Jim Hobart Traditional Focus Groups Jury Analysis/Selection Home