Message from the Polling and Politics Summer Pre-College Director

Welcome to Polling and Politics!

“According to the polls...” That may be a phrase you’ve read or heard on social media, in the news, or even in conversations with family and friends. But, what is a poll, and why are they so important in Americans’ daily lives? Polling and Politics will answer those very questions and will help you understand the unique, complementary, and, sometimes, combative relationship between campaigns, politicians, pundits, and the polls.

At The Marist College Poll, we have a long history of “tearing down” the walls of the traditional classroom environment and immersing students in hands-on learning opportunities. And, that’s exactly what you will do in this course! You will work on an actual poll project – from beginning to end – to understand questionnaire writing, how to conduct a poll, how to analyze its results, and how to report those results in an engaging and understandable way. We’ll even help you understand how to identify good polls from the bad and will explore why polls are even done in the first place! Oh, and you’ll even be able to interact with some of the most prominent professionals in polling and political journalism today.

Sound good? Well, there’s more. Polling and Politics will help you get a sense of what college life is like, and trust me, Marist College is a terrific place! Plus, it’s never too early to think about your career. Polling and Politics will help you develop “soft skills” that future employers look for in potential employees. You will learn to collaborate, communicate, optimize time management, and develop flexibility. Plus, you will be working with software and business systems that are used in many modern workplaces.

There’s so much behind survey research, and our professionals at The Marist College Poll look forward to sharing our knowledge with you!

About Dr. Lee M. Miringoff

Lee M. Miringoff is the director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion (MIPO), and is a member of the political science faculty at Marist College. Lee received his B.A. from Clark University and his Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the former President of the National Council of Public Polls (NCPP) and a current member of the Board of Trustees. He is also a trustee of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. With Barbara L. Carvalho, the director of the Marist Poll, Lee directs the NBC News/Marist Poll and the NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll.