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Election 2020
Confronting 2016 and 2020 Polling Limitations
Looking at final estimates of the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential race, 93% of national polls overstated the Democratic candidate’s support among voters, while nearly as many (88%) did so in 2016.
What 2020’s Election Poll Errors Tell Us About the Accuracy of Issue Polling
Turnout soared in 2020 as nearly two-thirds of eligible U.S. voters cast ballots for president
Recent Publications
Q&A: After misses in 2016 and 2020, does polling need to be fixed again? What our survey experts say
Polling organizations have taken close looks at how election surveys are designed, administered and analyzed. We are no exception.
Large Majority of the Public Views Prosecution of Capitol Rioters as ‘Very Important’
Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say prosecuting those who broke in on Jan. 6 is very important and that penalties for them will likely be less severe than they should be.
How Americans Navigated the News in 2020: A Tumultuous Year in Review
Americans inhabited different information environments, with wide gaps in how they viewed the election and COVID-19.
Most U.S. citizens report a campaign contacted them in 2020, but Latinos and Asians less likely to say so
White eligible voters were somewhat more likely to say they were contacted than Black, Hispanic or English-speaking Asian eligible voters.
Nothing lame about this lame duck: 116th Congress had busiest post-election session in recent history
No lame-duck session in the nearly 5 decades for which data is available has been as legislatively productive as that of the 116th Congress.
Even before Capitol riot, most people in Germany, France and the UK had concerns about U.S. political system
Majorities in all three countries said in a fall 2020 survey that the U.S. system needs either major changes or to be completely reformed.
A record number of women are serving in the 117th Congress
Women make up just over a quarter of all members of the 117th Congress – the highest percentage in U.S. history.
In their own words: How Americans reacted to the rioting at the U.S. Capitol
“Saddened, hurt, disgusted,” one woman in her 50s said. “Never thought I would see anything like this in my life.”
Legislators in UK, Canada and Australia Express Post-election Enthusiasm for Biden Administration on Twitter
In preelection tweets about the U.S., lawmakers abroad focused on how the election will affect bilateral ties and trade.
Black voters were most likely to say November election was run very well
Black voters were more likely to say the 2020 election was administered very well both nationally and locally.
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