NPR 5/21
What It's Like To Be Sick In America
In the lull between the Supreme Court arguments over the federal health overhaul law and the decision expected in June, we thought we'd ask Americans who actually use the health system quite a bit how they view the quality of care and its cost. … 3 of 4 people who were sick said cost is a very serious problem, and half said quality is a very serious problem. ...

Gallup 5/21
Obama, Romney Each Has Economic Strengths
Americans see the cost of healthcare, the federal budget deficit, and unemployment as the most important economic issues facing the country today, according to a new USA Today/Gallup poll asking them to rate the importance of 10 such issues. ... Americans prefer President Obama over Mitt Romney for handling healthcare, while Romney is favored on the deficit and the two are about tied on unemployment. ...

New York Times: Catherine Rampell 5/19
The Beginning of the End of the Census?
The American Community Survey may be the most important government function you've never heard of, and it's in trouble. ... But last week, the Republican-led House voted to eliminate the survey altogether, on the grounds that the government should not be butting its nose into Americans' homes. ...

National Journal: Steven Shepard 5/18
Researcher Examines Variation of the 'Bradley Effect'
During the 2008 presidential campaign, analysts warned that then-Sen. Barack Obama's lead might be overstated by the polls as a result of the so-called "Bradley Effect" -- the social-desirability bias that occurs when white voters lie to pollsters about their intention to vote for a minority candidate. But a new research paper points to another element of such bias: In 2008, poll respondents were more likely to say they would vote for Obama if the person conducting the interview was African-American. ...

Pew 5/18
A Global 'No' To a Nuclear-Armed Iran
A 21-nation Pew Global Attitudes survey finds widespread opposition to Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. And in most countries, there is majority support among opponents of a nuclear-armed Iran for international economic sanctions to try to stop Tehran's weapons program. ...

Gallup 5/18
In Presidential Election, Age Is Factor Only Among Whites
Barack Obama maintains a substantial edge over Mitt Romney among voters younger than age 40, while Romney wins among those 40 and older. ...

The Herald: Shawn Cetrone 5/17
Ex-S.C. GOP official asks for Winthrop's polling records
After Republican criticism of Winthrop University’s widely published surveys of public opinion, a former state GOP official has asked the school to turn over all records related to the last three Winthrop Polls, including respondents' identities. ...

TIPP Online 5/17
Obama Maintains 3-Point Advantage
In the latest Investor's Business Daily/Christian Science Monitor/TIPP Poll conducted after President Obama announced his support for gay marriage, the President continues to maintain a 3-point lead over Governor Romney. ...

Mark Mellman 5/16
A poll question I hate
I hate questions asking whether people are "more or less likely to vote" for a candidate based on some factor. I admit to using them, but rarely, and under some form of duress. ...

David Hill 5/16
Obama is crazy for his base
As a pollster and political consultant, even for the other political party, it's easy for me -- in a perverse sort of way -- to admire President Obama's all-in bid to recapture the affections of his liberal Democratic base voter. ...

Gallup 5/16
National Mood a Drag on Obama's Re-Election Prospects
Some six months before voters head to the polls to choose the next president of the United States, Gallup finds several indicators of the economic and political climate holding steady at levels that could be troublesome for President Barack Obama. ...

Chicago Tribune 5/15
Chicagoans like Emanuel's job performance
Chicagoans generally approve of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's job performance but are taking a wait-and-see attitude on whether he's making the city a better place to live, a new Tribune/WGN-TV poll shows. ...

Pew 5/15
Assessing the Representativeness of Opinion Surveys
... A new study by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds that, despite declining response rates, telephone surveys that include landlines and cell phones and are weighted to match the demographic composition of the population continue to provide accurate data on most political, social and economic measures. ...

Washington Post: Jon Cohen 5/15
Voters split on Obama's gay marriage announcement
Voters divide straight down the middle on President Obama's recent statement that he supports allowing gays and lesbians to get married, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. As with the issue itself, views of the president's major announcement last week are closely related to partisanship, education and age, with Democrats, more highly educated and younger adults generally supportive of Obama's move. ...