Polling

The University of Delaware's Center for Political Communication is a nonpartisan, interdisciplinary initiative that is committed to the emerging field of political communication. The CPC conducts national and Delaware public opinion polls to support its mission to examine the effects of political and social issues on communication. University of Delaware faculty and students are able to use the data in their research to advance the study of social science topics such as civil rights and liberties, media effects, and intergroup relations. To see previous CPC polls, go to Press Releases.

​In September 2018, as part of the National Agenda 2018 program, the CPC conducted a statewide public opinion poll to examine which candidates Delawareans may vote for on Election Day, the most important problems facing the First State, and their opinions of current elected officials. The CPC contracted with Abt Associates to conduct telephone interviews with a representative sample of 995 adults living in Delaware, including 908 registered voters. The study was supervised by the CPC’s Research Director, Paul Brewer, a professor in the Departments of Communication and Political Science & International Relations.

​To complement the National Agenda 2017 speaker series, "As We Stand | Divided," the CPC partnered with RABA Research to conduct national polls to measure perceptions of Muslims, the trustworthiness of American institutions, and the Trump presidency. In March 2018, the CPC again partnered with RABA to conduct a national opinion poll about professional athletes and celebrities and their involvement in politics. The polls were supervised by the CPC’s Associate Director, Lindsay Hoffman (Associate Professor) and Paul Brewer (Professor) in the Departments of Communication and Political Science & International Relations.

A national poll conducted on September 23 to 24 found that nearly three-fourths (71%) of Americans surveyed viewed Muslims as being more "them" than "us." Additionally, 69% of those surveyed did not believe Muslims are part of mainstream society. The findings illustrated the divide on issues related to the religion of Islam and Muslims in America today. The results underscored a confusion and lack of understanding when it comes to Muslims. Only 44% of those surveyed could say they personally “know” someone who is Muslim, and 53% say they are “not familiar” with the religion of Islam.

The second nationwide poll, conducted on October 24 to 25 to explore the divides facing Americans today, showed that most respondents carry a deep level of distrust for virtually every governing, media, and political institution in America. In a list of questions gauging which American institutions are trusted, only the military gained a positive rating with 72% trusting and just 13% not. Trend lines revealed an increasing skepticism and distrust of what were once respected institutions, with a distinct tribalism becoming the new norm in American politics. The survey also showed that 45% of all respondents distrusted “those who voted for Hillary Clinton for President” and 39% distrust “those who voted for Donald Trump for President.” When broken out by party affiliation, the divide was extreme with 72% of self-identified Republicans distrusting those who voted for Clinton, and 70% of Democrats distrusting those who voted for Trump.

​Results of the third national poll, conducted on November 11, showed that more than half of respondents said President Trump should not run for re-election in 2020, with an increasing number of Americans calling for a new candidate in the next election. The poll found that 54% of those questioned said Trump should not run for a second term as President. In a startling gender divide, the majority of men (53%) said they believe he should run, and the majority of women (60%) said he should not. When broken down by party, just 16% of Democrats said he should run, compared with 77% of Republicans. In a possible sign of a growing fissure within the GOP, 23% of Republican respondents said President Trump should not be the party's standard-bearer in 2020.

A majority of Republicans believe professional athletes should not speak out about politics and causes, with a sizable portion saying it is completely inappropriate for them to do so, according to a national poll conducted in March 2018 for the University of Delaware's Center for Political Communication. There was a notable difference between Republican and Democrat respondents in terms of their support for athletes being political. "What we are witnessing is a divide in terms of how Americans think about political speech—in particular, who gets to speak," says Dr. Dannagal Young, Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Delaware. Democrat respondents were overwhelmingly agreeing more strongly that athletes should use their platform to raise concern about political issues. Our poll suggests that support for celebrity athletes tends to be much greater among Democrats than Republicans, perhaps as a result of outspoken celebrities who have recently taken on more liberal causes.