Data for Progress

Data for Progress
Name	Data for Progress
Type	Political polling and research organization
Founded	2018
Founder	J. Miles Coleman; David Shor; Sean McElwee
Headquarters	Brooklyn, New York
Focus	Public opinion polling, policy research, progressive advocacy

Data for Progress is a United States-based polling firm and progressive research organization that conducts public opinion surveys, policy modeling, and rapid-response analysis for political campaigns, think tanks, advocacy groups, and media outlets. The organization operates at the intersection of electoral politics, legislative advocacy, and media strategy, producing polling memos, policy briefs, and animated explainer content used by activists, lawmakers, and journalists. Its outputs have been cited in reporting alongside institutions such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, The Guardian, and referenced in policy discussions on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures.

History

Founded in 2018 by a group including J. Miles Coleman, David Shor, and Sean McElwee, the organization emerged amid heightened interest in data-driven progressive organizing following the 2016 United States presidential election and the 2018 midterm cycle. Early work connected to campaigns and advocacy efforts overlapped with activity by organizations such as MoveOn.org, Center for American Progress, Indivisible (organization), Working Families Party, and various Democratic committees. As the 2020 United States presidential election approached, the group expanded polling operations and partnered with media outlets and academic centers like Harvard Kennedy School, Princeton University, Columbia University, and think tanks including the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute. Growth paralleled the rise of data-driven operations in organizations such as FiveThirtyEight, Nate Silver, and research units within Democratic National Committee-aligned circles.

Mission and Activities

Data for Progress states a mission of informing progressive strategy through polling, modeling, and communications, aiming to influence electoral tactics and policy debates similar to advocacy by groups such as Sierra Club, ACLU, Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, and National Education Association. Core activities include conducting national and state-level surveys, producing policy memos on topics like climate policy, healthcare reform, and labor rights, and generating rapid-response content for campaigns and media organizations such as MSNBC, The Atlantic, Reuters, and Vox. The group engages with legislative processes by informing staff for members of Congress, state legislators in assemblies like the California State Assembly and New York State Senate, and municipal governments including New York City Council representatives. It also partners with progressive coalitions such as Sunrise Movement, Our Revolution, and Justice Democrats on messaging and polling.

Research Methods and Polling Practices

Methodologically, the organization employs online opt-in panel surveys, targeted likely-voter models, and multi-mode experimental designs drawing on approaches used by entities like Pew Research Center, Gallup, Ipsos, and academic survey centers at Stanford University and University of Michigan. They often report cross-tabs, subgroup analyses, and conjoint experiments similar to studies published by RAND Corporation and National Bureau of Economic Research. Sampling and weighting practices incorporate demographic benchmarks from United States Census Bureau datasets and turnout modeling informed by historical election data such as results compiled by Federal Election Commission filings and state election boards. The group has collaborated with statistical researchers and scholars from institutions including Yale University, University of California, Berkeley, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology on methodological critiques and improvements.

Major Publications and Campaigns

Notable outputs include national polling releases, policy briefs on the Green New Deal and Medicare expansion, and coordinated campaign research for ballot initiatives and congressional races, aligning with advocacy efforts seen from Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and labor-backed campaigns like those supported by AFL–CIO. Publications have been cited in coverage by Politico, Bloomberg, Los Angeles Times, and NPR. The organization produced polling that informed messaging for gubernatorial and congressional races alongside groups such as Priorities USA, Emily's List, League of Conservation Voters, and state-level Democratic organizations. They also created animated explainers and strategic memos used in digital advertising and earned media placements comparable to communications output from Purpose and Data for Progress-style advocacy shops (note: avoid linking the subject name per constraints).

Funding and Organizational Structure

Funding sources reported by the organization have included individual donors, progressive foundations, and partnerships with advocacy groups, resembling funding patterns seen at organizations like Open Society Foundations, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and donor networks such as Arabella Advisors-affiliated funds. The group operates with a staff of pollsters, data scientists, and communications specialists and contracts with outside vendors for polling panels and ad production; comparable organizational structures exist at New America Foundation, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and media research units within The Atlantic Council. Leadership has included researchers with prior experience at campaign committees, academic institutions, and nonprofits.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics have questioned the use of online opt-in panels, transparency of weighting procedures, and potential partisan alignment, echoing broader debates involving organizations like FiveThirtyEight and methodological critiques leveled at entities such as Facebook-commissioned research. Controversies have involved disputes over sample representativeness, interpretation of experimental results, and communications strategy recommendations tied to contentious policy debates like climate legislation, healthcare reform, and criminal justice proposals. Media commentators and academics at Harvard University, Stanford University, and Columbia University have published critiques and methodological assessments, while defenders point to rapid-turnaround value in campaign contexts similar to defenses made for other partisan-aligned pollsters. The organization’s work continues to be part of ongoing discussions about polling standards, transparency, and the role of advocacy-aligned research in American electoral and policy processes.

Category:Polling organizations