Poll Hub

Marist Poll

Each week, Poll Hub goes behind the science to explain how polling works, what survey really show, and what the numbers actually mean. Poll Hub is produced by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, home of America’s leading independent university public opinion poll, the Marist Poll. Lee Miringoff (Director of MIPO), Barbara Carvalho (Director of the Marist Poll), Jay DeDapper (Director of Strategy + Innovation), Mary Griffith (Associate Director), and frequent expert guests, 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.

  1. The Future of Cancer

    20 MAR

    The Future of Cancer

    On this week’s Poll Hub, we take a closer look at where things stand with cancer in the United States. It’s still one of the most widespread diseases in the country, but the story is more multi-dimensional than it used to be. Treatments have improved significantly, and people are living longer than before. At the same time, more people are being diagnosed, including younger individuals, raising important questions about what’s driving that increase and how much we still don’t fully understand. We also explore how cancer care is evolving. New treatments like targeted therapies and immunotherapy are making a real impact, and in some cases, cancer is becoming something people manage over time rather than something immediately life-threatening. However, cancer isn’t just one disease. There are many different types, each with its own challenges and treatment approaches, depending on the patient. And even with all this progress, there are still major challenges. Cancer can shape a person’s life long after treatment -- physically, emotionally, and financially. The cost of care, access to treatment, and long-term impacts all play a role in the patient experience. Joined by Dr. Thomas Blom of Princeton Medical Group and Penn Medicine, and host of Medical Insights with Dr. Thomas Blom, we talk through where things are improving, where challenges remain, and what the future of cancer care might look like. Listen to Medical Insights with Dr. Thomas Blom here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1dhkwZs6AQ20GlaSJJ5Tbn?si=baaeccba89b94df8

    26 min
  2. Dreams and Polling Development

    20 FEB

    Dreams and Polling Development

    On this week’s episode of Poll Hub, Peter Enns, professor at Cornell University and co-founder of Verasight, joins to explore how polling is evolving beyond traditional approval ratings. Rather than focusing solely on top-line numbers, Enns discusses how researchers are digging deeper into public opinion to better understand nuance, intensity, and underlying motivations.   As a lead researcher on The Breakthrough polling project, Enns is helping redefine how we measure public opinion by incorporating open-ended responses, topic modeling, and sentiment analysis. These tools allow researchers to capture, not just what people think, but how they think — revealing patterns in language, emotion, and reasoning that often get lost in standard survey questions.   Then, we turn to dreams. We examine how factors like stress, anxiety, sleep patterns, and lifestyle habits shape the likelihood of experiencing nightmares, and what the data reveals about who is most affected. We also share some of our own dream experiences and dive into what may influence recurring dreams or why some people remember their dreams more vividly than others. From stress levels and major life changes to sleep quality and personality traits, we explore how both psychological and environmental factors can shape not just what we dream about, but whether those dreams stick with us after we wake up.   And, for this week’s fun fact, we take a look back at marijuana use in the 1960s and compare it to today. What was once associated with counterculture movements has become far more mainstream, with usage patterns shifting dramatically over time. It’s a fascinating snapshot of how attitudes, and behaviors, evolve across generations.

    36 min

About

Each week, Poll Hub goes behind the science to explain how polling works, what survey really show, and what the numbers actually mean. Poll Hub is produced by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, home of America’s leading independent university public opinion poll, the Marist Poll. Lee Miringoff (Director of MIPO), Barbara Carvalho (Director of the Marist Poll), Jay DeDapper (Director of Strategy + Innovation), Mary Griffith (Associate Director), and frequent expert guests, 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.

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