In Memoriam: Jim Davis
Jim Davis, giant in the field of survey research and winner of the 2010 Roper Center Mitofsky Award, died on September 29 after a brief illness. His…
Shutdown Showdown
Another budget negotiation, another government shutdown? Maybe. If an agreement cannot be reached that would provide aid to Flint, MI, Senate Democrats…
Curbed Enthusiasm: Voting in 2016
Much has been made of the supposed disenchantment of voters in the current election. In the most recent CBS News/NYT poll, only 36% of registered voters…
Presidential Approval: New tools
How does presidential approval in Barack Obama's second term compared to that of George W. Bush? How about to Harry Truman? With the Roper Center's newly…
None of the Above: Polling and Third-Party Candidates
Another election, another chance for a third-party campaign to draw away voters from a major party candidate and effect the election outcome. Maybe. Some…
Roper Data at the Presidential Debates
The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research has long served as a major resource for journalists covering presidential elections. This year, the Roper…
Event: 2016 Election Polling: A Postmortem
DC-AAPOR and the Roper Center present 2016 Election Polling: A Postmortem – Just What Do Voters Expect? Wednesday, November 16th, 3:00 to 5:30PM The…
Candidates and Tax Returns
Donald Trump has refused to release his tax returns, a decision that Hillary Clinton has denounced with ads that imply these documents hide secrets that…
Poverty in America: AEI/LA Times Polls
In 1985, the late I. A. Lewis, director of the LA Times poll, and William Schneider produced a poll on attitudes toward poverty in America. The survey…
Mandating Better Work-Life Balance: FMLA and Public Opinion
This Labor Day, America's labor movement will point to many proud achievements: overtime pay, workplace safety regulations, and more than two decades of…
Live Long and Pollster: Star Trek and Public Opinion
Fifty years ago this September, Star Trek aired on NBC. The show went on to become a cultural icon, an American vision of a future that went beyond…
New Dataset: The Chicago Council on Global Affairs 2015 Annual American Survey
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs 2015 Annual American Survey was conducted by The GfK Group (GfK, formerly Knowledge Networks) using a sample from…
New to the Archive: AARP's Brain Health Survey
AARP's Fall 2015 Brain Health Survey provides fascinating insights into what Americans believe affects mental sharpness and what actions they are taking…
Conventional Wisdom: Delegates, Conventions and Nominations
The 2016 party conventions mark the end of a long and difficult primary season, one which has brought nomination process questions to the forefront of the…
Convention Resources
The 2016 party conventions mark the end of a long and difficult primary season, one which has brought nomination process questions to the forefront of the…
The Whole World Was Watching: Public Opinion in 1968
A sign saying "Welcome to Chicago" from the 1968 Democratic National Convention burns during protests in Chicago. (Chicago Tribune historical photo) As…
The Public and its Right to Know
Fifty years since the Freedom of Information Act was first passed, the country is still debating how much transparency in government is appropriate. While…
2016 Mitofsky Award Winner James Stimson
The Roper Center Board of Directors is proud to announce that noted public opinion scholar, author, and mentor James Stimson is the recipient of the 2016…
Two Thumbs Down: 2016 Presidential Candidates' Favorability
Are Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton the least-liked presidential candidates in recent history? There’s evidence they may be. Trump’s unfavorability…
See America First: Public Opinion and National Parks
The National Parks Service is 100 this year. To celebrate, go camping – or take a look back at over sixty years of polling about our national parks…