---
title: "Listening to the public in election season"
description: "Quarterly Update A message from Pew Research Center President Michael Dimock · Subscribe ↗ Dear readers, With the 2022 midterm elections a little more than a week away, Americans are once again being inundated with polls and analyses aimed at projecting which party will control Congress – and what that might mean for the nation. At Pew […]"
date: "2022-10-31"
authors:
  - name: "Beshay Sakla"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/newsletter/quarterly-update/listening-to-the-public-in-election-season/"
---

# Listening to the public in election season

---

October 31, 2022

## Quarterly Update

*A message from Pew Research Center President Michael Dimock* · [**Subscribe ↗**](https://pewresearch.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&id=3e953b9b70)

---

Dear readers,

With the 2022 midterm elections a little more than a week away, Americans are once again being inundated with polls and analyses aimed at projecting which party will control Congress – and what that might mean for the nation. At Pew Research Center, we like polling and data analysis as much as anyone. But rather than predicting the outcome of the vote, we want to put the vote in perspective. That means focusing on what is happening in people’s lives, how they’re viewing major issues and what priorities they have for our government.

There’s no question that elections are essential for democracy. But they’re blunt measures when it comes to understanding the hopes and concerns of millions of Americans. Campaigns stoke division and fear, reduce complex issues into black and white, cause lots of Americans to tune out, and leave many voters feeling that they only have two options, neither of which represents their views and values.

We’re as curious as anyone about what happens on Nov. 8. But our goal is to enrich our understanding of the election beyond the so-called “horse race.” We hope you find our work during this election season informative and meaningful.

All my best,

**Michael Dimock**
President, Pew Research Center

- [Two years after election turmoil, GOP voters remain skeptical on elections, vote counts](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/10/31/two-years-after-election-turmoil-gop-voters-remain-skeptical-on-elections-vote-counts/)

- **The 2021 political typology:** [Even in a polarized era, deep divisions in both partisan coalitions](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/11/09/beyond-red-vs-blue-the-political-typology-2/)

- **Quiz:** [Which of our nine political typology groups is your best match?](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/quiz/political-typology/)

- [Most Latinos say Democrats care about them and work hard for their vote, far fewer say so of GOP](https://www.pewresearch.org/race-ethnicity/2022/09/29/most-latinos-say-democrats-care-about-them-and-work-hard-for-their-vote-far-fewer-say-so-of-gop/)

- [Black Americans have a clear vision for reducing racism but little hope it will happen](https://www.pewresearch.org/race-ethnicity/2022/08/30/black-americans-have-a-clear-vision-for-reducing-racism-but-little-hope-it-will-happen/)

- [Asian Americans describe the challenges of navigating their own identity in the U.S.](https://www.pewresearch.org/race-ethnicity/2022/08/02/what-it-means-to-be-asian-in-america/)

## [How Americans are staying informed as Election Day approaches](https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/news-habits-media/)

Americans’ pathways to news and information are ever evolving. Half of Americans at least sometimes get news [from social media](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/), including a growing share who are getting it [from TikTok](https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/10/21/more-americans-are-getting-news-on-tiktok-bucking-the-trend-on-other-social-media-sites/). Meanwhile, a recent Pew Research Center study of [alternative social media platforms](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2022/10/06/the-role-of-alternative-social-media-in-the-news-and-information-environment/) – including Parler and Truth Social – found a small but satisfied community of news consumers on these sites.