CBS News Poll

CBS News Poll is a recurring opinion survey program produced by CBS News that measures public attitudes on politics, public figures, presidential approval, elections, and social issues. It has been cited by major outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic and used by scholars at institutions like Harvard University, Stanford University, and Princeton University for research on electoral behavior. Over decades, the poll has intersected with events involving figures such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and institutions like the United States Congress, Supreme Court of the United States, and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

History

CBS News began systematic polling in the 1930s under the auspices of Columbia Broadcasting System and expanded after World War II to cover presidential contests, congressional ratings, and policy attitudes; early collaborations involved media partners such as United Press International and research centers like the Gallup Organization. During the 1960s and 1970s the poll tracked public reactions to events including the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and the Watergate scandal, producing data used by commentators at NBC News, ABC News, and academics at Yale University and Columbia University. In the 1990s and 2000s the poll adapted to telephone sampling innovations and joint projects with outlets such as The New York Times and think tanks like the Brookings Institution; later, in the 2010s and 2020s, it incorporated online panels and addressed topics tied to figures including Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Marco Rubio, and Joe Biden.

Methodology

CBS News Poll employs probability-based sampling techniques combining landline and cell phone frames and, increasingly, address-based sampling used by survey organizations such as the Pew Research Center and the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. Question design and weighting draw on standards from academic survey research practiced at University of Michigan, University of Chicago, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology to correct for demographics like age, race, gender, education, and geography tied to United States Census Bureau benchmarks. Many surveys are conducted using live-interview or automated dial systems coordinated with polling firms such as YouGov, SSRS, and Ipsos; mode effects and nonresponse are addressed through weighting schemes similar to those advocated by scholars at Princeton University and Duke University. Methodological transparency often includes sample size, margin of error, field dates, and question wording—information monitored by databases at the American Association for Public Opinion Research and archived by the Roper Center.

Notable Polls and Findings

CBS News Poll releases have tracked presidential approval levels for leaders like Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, and modern figures such as George W. Bush and Barack Obama; they captured turning points after events including the September 11 attacks, the Iraq War, and the Great Recession. The poll produced prominent election forecasts in years like 1960, 1972, 1980, 1992, 2008, 2016, and 2020 that were cited by outlets including The New York Times and The Washington Post and scrutinized by analysts from The Cook Political Report and the Pew Research Center. Issue polling has documented shifts in public attitudes on matters tied to institutions such as the Supreme Court of the United States and agencies like the Federal Reserve System, and responses to crises involving figures like Hurricane Katrina and the COVID-19 pandemic were widely reported by broadcasters including CNN and MSNBC.

Accuracy and Criticism

Scholars and commentators at Columbia University and Princeton University have compared CBS News Poll results against election outcomes and other benchmarks, noting both accurate trend-tracking and occasional misses; critics in outlets such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have highlighted sampling biases, late swings, and weighting assumptions as sources of error. Methodological critiques reference challenges identified by researchers at Stanford University and the University of Michigan including nonresponse bias, turnout modeling errors in contests like the 2016 United States presidential election, and difficulties measuring underrepresented groups tracked by the United States Census Bureau. Defenders point to adherence to standards from the American Association for Public Opinion Research and collaborations with professional pollsters such as YouGov and SSRS to improve accuracy.

Influence and Use in Media and Politics

Results from the poll are routinely used by newsrooms at CBS Evening News, 60 Minutes, Face the Nation, and by editorialists at The New York Times and The Washington Post to frame coverage of leaders including Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, Kamala Harris, and Mike Pence. Campaign strategists for presidential contenders like John McCain, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Donald Trump have used CBS News Poll data—alongside analytics from firms such as Nielsen and Catalist—to refine messaging. Policymakers at institutions including the United States Congress and state legislatures have cited poll findings in hearings and briefings, while academics at Harvard Kennedy School and policy shops like the Heritage Foundation and Center for American Progress analyze trends for reports and commentary.

Category:Public opinion research