Traditional polling forces citizens to place themselves into set categories, even on issues in which they are uninformed and uninterested.
The Mood of the Nation poll gives citizens a series of open-ended questions, allowing them to answer in their own words—saying what is on their minds, what is important to them, and thereby providing a unique window on contemporary American politics.
Read more about how the poll was conducted and the team that makes it happen.
Latest Poll Reports
New findings from the McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s latest Mood of the Nation Poll show that a sizeable minority of Americans agree with the statement, “When I think about our political and social institutions, I cannot help thinking ‘just let them all burn.’”
The survey, which was conducted Sept. 23-27 among 1,000 adults, found that the desire for drastic institutional change was somewhat more common among younger generations, Hispanic Americans, men and Trump voters.
The question was included in a survey in an attempt to help understand the depth and extent of Americans’ dissatisfaction with institutions and the status quo.
The McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s new Mood of the Nation Poll finds Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump locked in a close race for the national popular vote.
Forty-eight percent of the likely electorate plans to vote for Harris, while 45 percent plan to vote for Trump. Given the poll’s ±4.2 percentage point margin of error, as well as the five percent of the electorate that remains undecided, the lead in the race is unclear.
This poll also finds that voters’ preferences in the presidential race are related to their opinions about democracy as a system of governance.
Nine in ten Americans can name either a recent news event or something about American politics that made them angry, while only half could identify a recent news event or something about American politics that made them proud, according to the McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s latest Mood of the Nation Poll, conducted with 997 American adults from January 11 to 17, 2024.
In addition, when asked how angry or proud whatever they had identified made them feel, 46% of respondents said they felt “extremely angry,” over double the percentage who indicated feeling “extremely proud.”