Welcome to the Data Lab, a new section of Strength In Numbers for extra charts, general polling wonkery, and methods work that doesn’t fit neatly into the normal editorial vertical of the full site/doesn’t get the full editing treatment before publication. If you’re familiar with laboratory science, the idea is basically to open-source the lab notes for all the polling I run and explore stuff like survey experiments in more detail. If you’re the type of person who wants to know how our polling is done or reads election forecasting methodologies, the Data Lab is for you.

The Data Lab will also be a place for general miscellany that committed readers will be interested in, but might marginalize the wider audience. I also cut a lot of charts from the full newsletter that I’d like to share somehow, and have some insights into running a Bayesian model-driven polling operation and independent media company that I think folks will find interesting. Finally, as the staff here at Strength In Numbers continues to grow, I’m hoping the Data Lab will also be home to contributed musings from a network of survey research assistants and other polling professionals mining SIN data for insights. If that’s the type of thing that interests you, email me.

In terms of content mix, the goal is that well above half of Data Lab posts will be free. Occasional deeper dives will be paywalled for members, whose support makes all of this possible. Upgrade your subscription for full access:

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The Data Lab is intentionally opt-in for the true Strength In Numbers sickos, so if this at all sounds interesting to you, go to your settings for this publication and opt in to emails from the Data Lab. You should see a menu like the one in the screenshot below with a button to click to enroll in the new vertical. (And you might as well sign up for podcast notifications while you’re at it!)

The first Data Lab post is coming this week. If you have a suggestions for something else I should write, or a question about my polling, leave that in the comments below! Comments are unlocked for all readers.

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We (Elliott + Verasight, my survey partner!) just went into the field with our January poll, and part of the process for that survey was compiling all the questions y’all sent in so we could pick a few to run. For transparency (and fun!), I figured I’d share the complete list of your questions below. I have done a very rough edit of the question text and response options for clarity. Not all of these questions will be used this year, and most are not in the final form we would use in a poll; I’m just sharing them for fun.

Happy reading. If these spark any additional questions or comments, drop ‘em below!

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Energy & Infrastructure

If a candidate proposed to require large technology companies to pay for energy grid upgrades needed to power their data centers, would that make you more or less likely to vote for them?

• Much more likely

• Somewhat more likely

• No difference

• Somewhat less likely

• Much less likely

Who do you think should primarily pay for the additional infrastructure required to power large data centers?

• The technology companies building and operating the data centers

• Electric utility companies

• Federal government (taxpayers)

• State and local governments

• Shared among all of the above

• Not sure

Party & Voting Behavior

Which party do you think cares more about people like you?

• The Democratic Party

• The Republican Party

• Both about equally

• Neither party

• Not sure

Do you think there is a need for a new major political party in the United States?

• Yes, definitely

• Yes, probably

• No, probably not

• No, definitely not

• Not sure

Which statement best describes your view?
I would be more likely to vote for a Democratic candidate if they...

• Represented the moderate or centrist wing of the party more

• Represented the progressive wing of the party more

• Neither - I would not be more likely to vote for a Democratic candidate regardless

• Not sure

Do the actions of the [Democratic Party / Republican Party] make you: [SPLIT SAMPLE - ask about one party per respondent]

• More likely to vote for them

• Less likely to vote for them

• Neither more nor less likely to vote for them

• More likely not to vote at all

• Not sure

Thinking about your vote in the 2024 election, was it primarily motivated by:

• Agreement with your preferred candidate’s or party’s priorities

• A desire to keep the other candidate or party out of power

• Both about equally

• Something else

• Did not vote in 2024

Compared to the 2024 elections, how likely are you to vote in the 2026 midterm elections?

• Much more likely to vote

• Somewhat more likely to vote

• About as likely to vote

• Somewhat less likely to vote

• Much less likely to vote

Do you plan to vote for your U.S. House Representative in the 2026 election?

• Yes, definitely

• Yes, probably

• No, probably not

• No, definitely not

• Not sure

Do you plan to vote in your state’s primary election?

• Yes, definitely

• Yes, probably

• No, probably not

• No, definitely not

• Not sure / Don’t know when my primary is

[ASK IF VOTED FOR TRUMP IN 2024] How do you plan to vote in the 2026 midterm elections?

• I will definitely vote Republican

• I will probably vote Republican

• I will probably vote Democratic

• I will definitely vote Democratic

• I don’t plan to vote in the midterms

• Not sure yet

How likely would you be to vote for a third-party candidate in a future election?

• Very likely

• Somewhat likely

• Not very likely

• Not at all likely

• Not sure

On a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 means you would never vote for them and 100 means you would definitely vote for them, how likely are you to vote for a Democratic candidate for president in a future election?
[0-100 scale]

On a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 means you would never vote for them and 100 means you would definitely vote for them, how likely are you to vote for a Democratic candidate for Congress in a future election?
[0-100 scale]

Which comes closest to your view of the American political system?

• The system needs to be torn down completely

• The system needs major changes

• The system needs minor changes

• The system does not need any changes

Trump Administration

How would you rate President Trump’s mental sharpness?

• Excellent

• Good

• Fair

• Poor

• Not sure

Regarding the war in Ukraine, do you think that President Trump’s handling of the negotiations has been:

• Too favorable to Ukraine

• Too favorable to Russia

• About right / Impartial

• Not sure / No opinion

Would you approve or disapprove if President Trump ordered military action against Venezuela?

• Strongly approve

• Somewhat approve

• Somewhat disapprove

• Strongly disapprove

• Not sure

Do you support or oppose using the U.S. military to forcibly remove the president of Venezuela from power?

• Strongly support

• Somewhat support

• Somewhat oppose

• Strongly oppose

• Not sure

How concerned are you, if at all, about ethical conduct in the Trump administration?

• Very concerned

• Somewhat concerned

• Not very concerned

• Not at all concerned

• Not sure

How well do you think the Trump administration understands the concerns of people like you?

• Very well

• Somewhat well

• Not very well

• Not at all well

• Not sure

Do you think President Trump has misused the powers of the presidency?

• Yes, definitely

• Yes, probably

• No, probably not

• No, definitely not

• Not sure

Do you think President Trump has treated America’s foreign allies fairly or unfairly?

• Very fairly

• Somewhat fairly

• Somewhat unfairly

• Very unfairly

• Not sure

Do you approve or disapprove of the Trump administration’s policies toward [INSTITUTION - e.g., the Department of Education, the FBI, etc.]?

• Strongly approve

• Somewhat approve

• Somewhat disapprove

• Strongly disapprove

• Not sure / Haven’t heard enough

Do you approve or disapprove of the Trump administration’s policies toward transgender people?

• Strongly approve

• Somewhat approve

• Somewhat disapprove

• Strongly disapprove

• Not sure / Haven’t heard enough

Ethics & Corruption

How important is it to you that elected officials avoid conflicts of interest, such as stock trading based on non-public information or accepting expensive gifts?

• Very important

• Somewhat important

• Not very important

• Not at all important

How important is it to you that Supreme Court justices avoid conflicts of interest, such as accepting expensive gifts or travel from people with business before the Court?

• Very important

• Somewhat important

• Not very important

• Not at all important

Do you think wealthy individuals and large corporations have benefited more than average Americans from the Trump administration’s policies?

• Yes, much more

• Yes, somewhat more

• About the same

• No, average Americans have benefited more

• Not sure

Compared to the Biden administration, do you consider the Trump administration to be:

• Much more corrupt

• Somewhat more corrupt

• About the same

• Somewhat less corrupt

• Much less corrupt

• Not sure

Right Track/Wrong Track

What is the main reason you feel the country is headed in the [right/wrong] direction?

• The economy

• The current president / administration

• Crime and public safety

• Immigration

• Healthcare

• Foreign policy

• Other (please specify)

• Not sure

Neighbor/Social Perception

In general, how do you think most of your neighbors feel about President Trump?

• Strongly approve

• Somewhat approve

• Somewhat disapprove

• Strongly disapprove

• Not sure / Hard to say

Economy & Inflation

Compared to last month, do you think the rate of inflation has:

• Increased

• Decreased

• Stayed about the same

• Not sure

How would you rate the strength of the economy in your local area?

• Very strong

• Somewhat strong

• Somewhat weak

• Very weak

• Not sure

How would you rate the strength of the national economy?

• Very strong

• Somewhat strong

• Somewhat weak

• Very weak

• Not sure

Compared to when President Trump took office in January 2025, would you say your personal financial situation is now:

• Much better

• Somewhat better

• About the same

• Somewhat worse

• Much worse

• Not sure

In the past month, how often have you decided not to purchase something because of the cost?

• Very often

• Somewhat often

• Not very often

• Never

• Not sure

Which of the following is your largest monthly expense?

• Housing (rent or mortgage)

• Childcare

• Transportation

• Food and groceries

• Healthcare and health insurance

• Utilities (heating, electricity, etc.)

• Other

• Not sure

If you lost your current income, approximately how long could you maintain your current standard of living from savings?

• Less than one month

• 1-3 months

• 4-6 months

• 7-12 months

• More than a year

• Not sure / Prefer not to say

How confident are you that your job will be secure over the next year?

• Very confident

• Somewhat confident

• Not very confident

• Not at all confident

• Not applicable (not currently employed / retired)

Taxes & Spending

Which comes closer to your view on taxes on wealthy Americans?

• Taxes on wealthy Americans should be increased significantly

• Taxes on wealthy Americans should be increased somewhat

• Taxes on wealthy Americans are about right

• Taxes on wealthy Americans should be decreased somewhat

• Taxes on wealthy Americans should be decreased significantly

• Not sure

If the government needed to reduce the budget deficit, which approach would you prefer?

• Primarily through spending cuts

• Primarily through tax increases

• A mix of spending cuts and tax increases

• The deficit does not need to be reduced

• Not sure

How important is federal government spending on each of the following?
[Very important / Somewhat important / Not very important / Not at all important / Not sure]

• Foreign aid to other countries

• National defense and military

• Immigration enforcement

• Food assistance programs for low-income families (such as SNAP)

• Healthcare programs for low-income families (such as Medicaid)

• Medical research (such as NIH)

• Other scientific research

• Infrastructure (highways, bridges, power grid)

• K-12 public education

• Higher education and student aid

Which type of tax cut do you think would benefit wealthy Americans the most?

• Income tax cuts

• Sales tax cuts

• Property tax cuts

• All would benefit them about equally

• Not sure

If you could choose one type of tax cut, which would you most prefer?

• Income tax cuts

• Sales tax cuts

• Property tax cuts

• None - I don’t support tax cuts

• Not sure

Which type of tax cut do you think would help working-class Americans the most?

• Income tax cuts

• Sales tax cuts

• Property tax cuts

• All would help them about equally

• Not sure

Would you support or oppose a federal program to provide free or subsidized childcare for all families who need it?

• Strongly support

• Somewhat support

• Somewhat oppose

• Strongly oppose

• Not sure

Would you support or oppose increasing taxes on household incomes over $1 million to fund new government programs?

• Strongly support

• Somewhat support

• Somewhat oppose

• Strongly oppose

• Not sure

Healthcare

Do you think the United States should adopt a single-payer healthcare system, where the government provides health insurance for all Americans?

• Yes, definitely

• Yes, probably

• No, probably not

• No, definitely not

• Not sure

Which comes closer to your view on health insurance in the United States?

• The government should provide health insurance for all Americans through a single national program

• Health insurance should be provided through a mix of government programs and private insurance

• Health insurance should be provided primarily through private insurance with minimal government involvement

• Not sure

Over the past year, have your household’s health insurance costs:

• Increased significantly

• Increased somewhat

• Stayed about the same

• Decreased somewhat

• Decreased significantly

• Not applicable / Don’t have health insurance

• Not sure

Would you support or oppose allowing Americans of any age to buy into Medicare?

• Strongly support

• Somewhat support

• Somewhat oppose

• Strongly oppose

• Not sure

Which of the following do you think would do the most to reduce healthcare costs in America? [SELECT UP TO TWO]

• Allowing the government to negotiate drug prices

• Reducing administrative costs and paperwork

• Increasing competition among insurance companies

• Expanding government-provided insurance (like Medicare)

• Reducing regulations on healthcare providers

• Reducing malpractice lawsuits

• None of these would significantly reduce costs

• Not sure

AI & Technology

Do you think advances in artificial intelligence (AI) will help or hurt economic opportunities for middle-class Americans over the next decade?

• Help a lot

• Help somewhat

• Neither help nor hurt

• Hurt somewhat

• Hurt a lot

• Not sure

Has artificial intelligence or automation had an impact on employment at your workplace?

• Yes, jobs have been eliminated or reduced

• Yes, job duties have changed but headcount is the same

• No noticeable impact

• Not sure

• Not applicable (not currently employed)

How much control do you feel you have over what content gets recommended to you on social media and streaming services?

• A lot of control

• Some control

• Not much control

• No control at all

• I don’t use social media or streaming services

• Not sure

How often do you use generative AI products (such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, or Grok)?

• Never

• Less than once a month

• A few times a month

• A few times a week

• Daily or more often

Which comes closest to your view on government regulation of artificial intelligence?

• The government should take a hands-off approach and let AI develop with minimal regulation

• The government should provide targeted regulation to prevent specific harms while encouraging innovation

• The government should broadly regulate AI to prevent potential negative consequences, even if it slows development

• Not sure

How concerned are you, if at all, that artificial intelligence could eventually replace your job or jobs like yours?

• Very concerned

• Somewhat concerned

• Not very concerned

• Not at all concerned

• Not applicable (retired / not in workforce)

Some people have proposed a Universal Basic Income (UBI), where the government would provide all adults with a regular cash payment regardless of employment. Do you support or oppose this idea?

• Strongly support

• Somewhat support

• Somewhat oppose

• Strongly oppose

• Not sure

Quality of Life

Do you think your quality of life would be better, worse, or about the same if you lived in another country?

• Much better

• Somewhat better

• About the same

• Somewhat worse

• Much worse

• Not sure

In general, how safe do you feel in your daily life?

• Very safe

• Somewhat safe

• Somewhat unsafe

• Very unsafe

Over the past year, have actions by the federal government made you feel more safe, less safe, or had no effect on how safe you feel?

• Much more safe

• Somewhat more safe

• No effect

• Somewhat less safe

• Much less safe

• Not sure

Do you feel you are treated fairly in American society?

• Very fairly

• Somewhat fairly

• Somewhat unfairly

• Very unfairly

• Not sure

Since January 20, 2025, would you say your mental health has been:

• Much better

• Somewhat better

• About the same

• Somewhat worse

• Much worse

• Not sure / Prefer not to say

Democracy & Government

The Supreme Court ruled that presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts. Do you agree or disagree with this ruling?

• Strongly agree

• Somewhat agree

• Somewhat disagree

• Strongly disagree

• Not sure / Haven’t heard about this

The Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision allows corporations and unions to spend unlimited money on political advertising. Do you think this decision should be:

• Kept in place

• Overturned or significantly limited

• Not sure / Haven’t heard about this

Do you support or oppose term limits for Supreme Court justices?

• Strongly support

• Somewhat support

• Somewhat oppose

• Strongly oppose

• Not sure

Do you support or oppose increasing the number of justices on the Supreme Court?

• Strongly support

• Somewhat support

• Somewhat oppose

• Strongly oppose

• Not sure

Do you support or oppose requiring a binding ethics code for Supreme Court justices?

• Strongly support

• Somewhat support

• Somewhat oppose

• Strongly oppose

• Not sure

Overall, do you think the Supreme Court is having a positive or negative effect on American democracy?

• Very positive effect

• Somewhat positive effect

• Neither positive nor negative

• Somewhat negative effect

• Very negative effect

• Not sure

Which comes closer to your view?

• American democracy requires a strong system of checks and balances, so that the president does not become too powerful relative to other branches of government

• American democracy requires a strong president who can take action without restrictions from other branches of government

• Not sure

How confident are you that votes in the 2026 midterm elections will be counted accurately?

• Very confident

• Somewhat confident

• Not very confident

• Not at all confident

How confident are you that electronic voting systems will accurately record votes in the 2026 elections?

• Very confident

• Somewhat confident

• Not very confident

• Not at all confident

• Not sure

Currently, in most states, state legislators draw congressional district boundaries. Do you think:

• This system works well and should continue

• Districts should be drawn by independent, non-partisan commissions instead

• Not sure

Would you support changing from winner-take-all elections to an alternative system such as ranked-choice voting or proportional representation?

• Yes, definitely

• Yes, probably

• No, probably not

• No, definitely not

• Not sure / Don’t know enough about these alternatives

Do you support or oppose mandatory voting in federal elections?

• Strongly support

• Somewhat support

• Somewhat oppose

• Strongly oppose

• Not sure

Would you support or oppose a constitutional amendment to replace the Electoral College with a national popular vote for president?

• Strongly support

• Somewhat support

• Somewhat oppose

• Strongly oppose

• Not sure

Compared to a year ago, do you think the state of democracy in the United States has:

• Gotten much better

• Gotten somewhat better

• Stayed about the same

• Gotten somewhat worse

• Gotten much worse

• Not sure

How well do you feel your views are represented by your [city government / state legislature / U.S. House representative / U.S. senators]? [ASK AS GRID OR SEPARATE ITEMS]

• Very well

• Somewhat well

• Not very well

• Not at all well

• Not sure

Immigration

If you had to choose, which would you prefer?

• Providing most undocumented immigrants currently in the United States a pathway to legal status

• Deporting most undocumented immigrants currently in the United States

• Not sure / Neither

Do you think all people in the United States, regardless of citizenship status, should have the same due process rights under the law?

• Yes, definitely

• Yes, probably

• No, probably not

• No, definitely not

• Not sure

Media & Information

How much do you trust each of the following news sources to report the news accurately? [A great deal / A fair amount / Not very much / Not at all / Never heard of / Don’t use]

• CNN

• Fox News

• MSNBC

• The New York Times

• The Wall Street Journal

• ABC News

• NBC News

• CBS News

• Local TV news

• Local newspapers

Compared to a year ago, how would you describe your level of engagement with news about politics and government?

• Much more engaged

• Somewhat more engaged

• About the same

• Somewhat less engaged

• Much less engaged

Over the last month, have you sought out any new sources of news or information that you hadn’t used before?

• Yes, several new sources

• Yes, one or two new sources

• No, I’ve stuck with my usual sources

• I don’t regularly follow news

Over the past week, how often did you read, watch, listen to, or discuss political news?

• Very often (daily or more)

• Often (several times)

• Sometimes (once or twice)

• Rarely or never

How often do you pay close attention to news about U.S. politics?

• Very often

• Often

• Sometimes

• Rarely

• Never

What is your primary source of news and information?

• Traditional media (newspapers, TV news, radio)

• Social media

• Online news sites and blogs

• Podcasts

• Conversations with friends, family, or coworkers

• Other

• I don’t regularly follow news

Which social media platform do you use most often for news? [ASK IF USES SOCIAL MEDIA FOR NEWS]

• YouTube

• Facebook

• Instagram

• TikTok

• Reddit

• X (formerly Twitter)

• Other

• I don’t get news from social media

Do you currently pay for any news subscriptions (such as newspaper or magazine subscriptions, or paywalled websites)?

• Yes

• No

• Not sure

Wealth Inequality

Do you think the gap between the wealthiest Americans and everyone else is:

• Much too large

• Somewhat too large

• About right

• Too small

• Not sure

Overall, do you think billionaires have a positive or negative effect on the United States?

• Very positive effect

• Somewhat positive effect

• Neither positive nor negative

• Somewhat negative effect

• Very negative effect

• Not sure

Do you think billionaires and large corporations should have more, less, or about the same amount of influence over federal policy as they currently have?

• Much more influence

• Somewhat more influence

• About the same as now

• Somewhat less influence

• Much less influence

• Not sure

Housing

Do you currently rent or own your primary residence?

• Own

• Rent

• Other arrangement (living with family, etc.)

• Prefer not to say

Is the cost of your housing reasonably affordable for you?

• Yes, very affordable

• Yes, somewhat affordable

• No, somewhat unaffordable

• No, very unaffordable

How important is it to you personally to own your own home?

• Very important

• Somewhat important

• Not very important

• Not at all important

• Already own my home

How likely do you think it is that you will own your own home at some point in the future? [ASK IF DOESN’T CURRENTLY OWN]

• Very likely

• Somewhat likely

• Not very likely

• Not at all likely

• Not sure

Climate & Environment

How concerned are you, if at all, about extreme weather events (such as hurricanes, floods, wildfires, or heat waves) affecting your area?

• Very concerned

• Somewhat concerned

• Not very concerned

• Not at all concerned

Education

Do you support or oppose reducing the role of the federal Department of Education in K-12 schooling?

• Strongly support

• Somewhat support

• Somewhat oppose

• Strongly oppose

• Not sure

If the federal Department of Education’s role were significantly reduced, do you think the quality of K-12 education in America would:

• Improve significantly

• Improve somewhat

• Stay about the same

• Get somewhat worse

• Get much worse

• Not sure

Gas Prices

How much influence will gas prices have on your vote in the 2026 elections?

• A great deal of influence

• Some influence

• A little influence

• No influence at all

Values in Politicians

How important is it to you that elected officials do each of the following?
[Very important / Somewhat important / Not very important / Not at all important]

• Act with honesty and integrity

• Represent the interests of all their constituents, not just their supporters

• Focus on the common good rather than partisan advantage

• Treat political opponents with respect

When choosing a presidential candidate, which matters more to you?

• The candidate’s personal character and integrity

• The candidate’s party affiliation and policy positions

• Both matter equally

• Not sure

How important is it that political figures and news media be held accountable for making false statements?

• Very important

• Somewhat important

• Not very important

• Not at all important

Buyer’s Remorse

[ASK ALL] If you could go back and change your vote in the 2024 presidential election, what would you do?

• I would still vote for Harris

• I would still vote for Trump

• I would still vote for another candidate

• I would change my vote from Harris to Trump

• I would change my vote from Trump to Harris

• I would change my vote to/from another candidate

• I did not vote in 2024 / Was not eligible

• Prefer not to say

[ASK ALL] Thinking back to the 2020 presidential election, would you vote the same way today?

• Yes, I would vote the same way

• No, I would vote differently

• I did not vote in 2020 / Was not eligible

• Don’t remember / Prefer not to say

Federal vs. State Policy

For each of the following issues, do you think policy should be set primarily at the federal level or primarily at the state level?
[Federal level / State level / Both equally / Not sure]

• Voting procedures and election administration

• Education funding

• Education curriculum and standards

• Labor laws and workplace standards

• Healthcare and health insurance

• Crime and public safety

• Immigration enforcement

• Environmental protection

• Civil rights and equal protection

Campaign Finance

Some people have proposed giving every voter a small amount of public money (such as $50-100) that they could donate to political candidates of their choice. Would you support or oppose this idea?

• Strongly support

• Somewhat support

• Somewhat oppose

• Strongly oppose

• Not sure

Would you support or oppose a law in your state that limits corporate spending on political campaigns?

• Strongly support

• Somewhat support

• Somewhat oppose

• Strongly oppose

• Not sure

Political Engagement

How included do you feel in the direction the country is taking?

• Very included

• Somewhat included

• Not very included

• Not at all included

• Not sure

Have you seriously considered or made plans to move to another country?

• Yes, I have made concrete plans

• Yes, I have seriously considered it

• No, but I have thought about it casually

• No, I have not considered it

In the past month, have you participated in any public demonstrations or protests?

• Yes

• No

Before today, were you familiar with the term “soft secession”?

• Yes, I know what it means

• Yes, I’ve heard the term but am not sure of the meaning

• No, I have not heard this term before

Miscellaneous

Do you think there are grounds for Congress to impeach President Trump?

• Yes, definitely

• Yes, probably

• No, probably not

• No, definitely not

• Not sure

To reduce the possibility of conflict, have you chosen not to respond to a friend’s, family member’s, or colleague’s political statements?

• Never

• Rarely

• Sometimes

• Often

• Very often

Do you approve or disapprove of the job President Trump’s Cabinet is doing overall?

• Strongly approve

• Somewhat approve

• Somewhat disapprove

• Strongly disapprove

• Not sure / Don’t know enough about the Cabinet

Would you be comfortable voting for a presidential candidate who is:
[Yes, definitely / Yes, probably / No, probably not / No, definitely not]

• A woman

• Black or African American

• Hispanic or Latino

• Jewish

• Muslim

• Gay or lesbian

• An atheist

• Over 75 years old

• Under 40 years old

How would you rate the Trump administration’s progress on addressing substance use and addiction issues?

• Excellent

• Good

• Fair

• Poor

• Not sure / Haven’t heard enough about this

Overall, how do you feel about the next year?

• Very optimistic

• Somewhat optimistic

• Neither optimistic nor pessimistic

• Somewhat pessimistic

• Very pessimistic

[ASK DEMOCRATS/LEANERS] How do you think Democratic leaders in Congress should approach the Trump administration?

• Be more aggressive in opposing the administration

• Continue their current approach

• Be more willing to work with the administration

• Not sure

Do you think the United States should increase, maintain, or decrease military and financial aid to Ukraine?

• Significantly increase aid

• Somewhat increase aid

• Maintain current levels

• Somewhat decrease aid

• Significantly decrease aid

• Not sure

When a new president takes office, do you think they should investigate potential wrongdoing by the previous administration?

• Yes, definitely

• Yes, if there is evidence of serious wrongdoing

• No, it’s better to move forward

• Not sure

Which statement best describes your views on artificial intelligence?

• AI is mostly beneficial and should be allowed to develop with minimal government regulation

• AI has both benefits and risks, and the government should provide some targeted regulation

• AI poses significant risks and the government should implement strong regulations

• Not sure

How confident are you that the government can solve big, important problems?

• Very confident

• Somewhat confident

• Not very confident

• Not at all confident

Who do you think is most to blame for the biggest problems facing America today?

• Wealthy individuals and billionaires

• Large corporations

• The Democratic Party

• The Republican Party

• The federal government in general

• Foreign countries

• No one group is primarily to blame

• Someone else

• Not sure

Approximately what percentage of your household’s basic expenses (housing, food, healthcare) do you personally pay for?

• All or nearly all (90-100%)

• Most (60-89%)

• About half (40-59%)

• Some (10-39%)

• Little or none (0-9%)

Compared to last year, is your use of social media:

• Much more

• Somewhat more

• About the same

• Somewhat less

• Much less

• I don’t use social media

Do you think President Trump’s physical and mental health is:

• Improving

• Staying about the same

• Declining

• Not sure

How did you cast your ballot in the 2024 election?

• Early in-person voting

• Absentee or mail-in ballot

• In-person on Election Day

• Did not vote

• Don’t remember

Ideally, how old would you like the next president to be?

• Under 50

• 50-59

• 60-69

• 70-79

• 80 or older

• Age doesn’t matter to me

Science & Medical Research

Do you think the federal government should increase, decrease, or maintain its current level of funding for scientific and medical research?

• Significantly increase funding

• Somewhat increase funding

• Maintain current funding levels

• Somewhat decrease funding

• Significantly decrease funding

• Not sure

Do you believe that vaccines such as the polio and measles vaccines have saved lives?

• Yes, definitely

• Yes, probably

• No, probably not

• No, definitely not

• Not sure

Do you think the federal government should monitor and track infectious disease outbreaks, such as bird flu and other potential health threats?

• Yes, definitely

• Yes, probably

• No, probably not

• No, definitely not

• Not sure

Discrimination

Have you personally experienced discrimination in any of the following areas? [Select all that apply]

• Housing

• Employment

• Education

• Healthcare

• Interactions with police

• Other

• I have not experienced discrimination

Political Advertising

Do you think there should be legal consequences when political advertising contains false information?

• Yes, definitely

• Yes, probably

• No, probably not

• No, definitely not

• Not sure

Direction of the Country

Which best describes your view of where the country is headed?

• Things are going well in America and no major changes are needed

• Things could be going better, and what’s needed is a return to stability and normalcy

• Things are going poorly, and major, disruptive changes are needed

• Not sure

Democratic Party Direction

To what extent do you support the progressive wing of the Democratic Party gaining more influence over the party’s direction?

• Strongly support

• Somewhat support

• Somewhat oppose

• Strongly oppose

• Not sure / Not a Democrat

Hypothetical Matchups

If the 2028 Republican presidential primary were held today between Donald Trump and Mitt Romney, who would you vote for? [ASK REPUBLICANS/LEANERS]

• Donald Trump

• Mitt Romney

• Neither / Would not vote

• Not sure

Demographics (Suggested Crosstabs)

Which best describes the area where you live?

• Urban (in a city)

• Suburban (outside a city but in a metropolitan area)

• Small town

• Rural

Ideology Self-Identification

Which of the following best describes your political views?

• Very liberal

• Somewhat liberal

• Moderate

• Somewhat conservative

• Very conservative

• Libertarian

• Not sure / Don’t think in these terms

Information Preferences

When forming your opinions on political issues, which of the following do you find most useful?

• Charts and graphs showing data

• Statistics and numbers

• Analysis and commentary from experts

• Discussions with friends, family, or colleagues

• Personal experience

• Not sure

<ends>

I have activated a special coupon for the 2025 holiday season. Click the button below and get 20% off an annual subscription to Strength In Numbers, no questions asked. Perfect for new subscribers, monthly subs looking to save some money annually, or as a gift to a loved one!

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Today I have a short, interactive post for the whole audience.

One of the things that sets this Substack apart from other political analysis blogs is that Strength In Numbers sponsors its own polling, conducted in partnership with a mixed-mode polling firm called Verasight (“mixed mode” means they source interviews via multiple modes: in this case, via the internet, text messages, and phone calls). And we (Elliott + Verasight) also let subscribers to the site suggest their own questions for us to ask 1,500-2,000 U.S adults each month.

As far as I know, SIN was the first major politics publication on Substack to make bespoke, audience-driven polling a regular part of editorial strategy. This turned out to be one of the best ideas I had in 2025; the polls generate a lot of back-and-forth with readers (I try to respond to every one of you!) and drive press coverage for the website. The idea was so good that others have followed in our footsteps! Yay for independent polling!

These monthly surveys generate a lot of insights beyond the normal toplines and crosstabs you see from many polls. Because I am a pollster and a statistician/data scientist/computational social scientist at heart, I’ve been able to use the raw data Verasight gives me to do a lot of cool things, including visual analysis of open-ended text responses and estimation of public opinion at the state level (and, soon, maybe even counties and congressional districts). Of course, there’s also everyone’s favorite feature of the monthly poll: line charts.

So far, I have devoted about half of each survey to a core set of tracking questions I ask again and again each month. Then, the rest of the survey is filled in with rotating trackers when they become relevant (tariffs, for example, have been in and out of the news since January), plus one-off questions submitted by subscribers.

And this is where you come in.

What questions do you want us to ask in 2026?

I want everyone who reads this newsletter to suggest one question you’d like us to track on a regular monthly basis in 2026. These questions should be suited to trending (ie, visualizing on line charts) and relevant over the course of the whole election cycle (January - November; we’re going to take December 2026 off). The comments are open below for your suggestions.

The questions I’ve been regularly asking so far are:

• Self-reported likelihood to vote in midterms

• U.S. House generic congressional ballot

• Most Important Problem for 11 issues:

  • Jobs and the economy

  • Prices/inflation

  • Trade with other countries

  • Foreign policy

  • Immigration

  • Border security

  • Deportations

  • Education

  • Health care

  • Government funding and social programs

  • Crime and public safety

• Party and political figure feeling thermometers

• “Which party do you trust most to handle ___” for each of the aboved 12 issues

• Trump approval

• Trump approval for those 12 issues

• Right direction/wrong track

And I plan to add the following questions to the regular rotation:

• Do you think your personal financial situation will get better or worse in the next year? (Better / worse / stay the same / don’t know)

• Two open-ended questions asking what single issue Trump is doing best/worst on. (Used to see if I should add or subtract an issue from the issue tracking.)

• What news story did you hear the most about over the last month?

My goal next year is to somewhat dramatically expand the data products produced by the data in the monthly poll, including making regularly updated custom graphics from the interviews we conduct. That would include crosstabs, automated graphs for trended questions, analysis of open-ended text, and MRP modeling for issue questions. We are also planning on sharing the data with academic data archives, and maybe even open-sourcing some of the analysis pipelines on GitHub (stay tuned).

Full disclosure: Some of these features will probably get locked behind a paywall at some point to help grow the business, but I intend to keep the vast majority of insights from the polls freely accessible to the public.

So, please fire away! I want to know what questions you are curious about, so I can provide an interesting and actionable survey to readers. The whole reason we started this project was to make polling more transparent and relevant to the average American.

When you’re writing your question, keep these guidelines in mind:

• Please only submit one question each. I promise to read every submission, but that’s going to be a lot of work already (SIN is closing in on 50,000 readers), so please don’t abuse the comments.

• Make it one concept per question. Avoid “and/or” mashups; they’re harder to interpret and trend cleanly

• Try to use neutral wording. It is important that questions do not lead respondents to answer a certain way. We’ll lightly edit for clarity/neutrality and keep wording stable over time for trend comparability.

• Include response options if you can. Best formats for monthly tracking are strongly/somewhat approve/disapprove, better/worse/neutral, right/wrong track, favorability scales, 4-point “a lot/some/not much/none”, and scales of numeric integers.

Leave your questions below — or, if you’re a member of the Strength In Numbers Discord, tag me there.

Elliott

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