Center for Polling and Policy Research

Florida Southern College Center for Polling and Policy Research
The Florida Southern College Center for Polling and Policy Research is always interested in partnering with members of the community. For more information about the services we can offer, please contact the Center’s Director.

About Us

The Florida Southern College Center for Polling and Policy Research was founded in 2014 to promote the academic mission of the college, to prepare students through the use of dynamic and engaged learning opportunities.

The Center allows students the opportunity to design, implement, and analyze their own public polls and to conduct original policy evaluation projects. The Center also serves as a resource for faculty members undertaking their own research regarding public policy and public opinion. These studies contribute to our academic and civic communities as well as promote the work of our students and faculty.

Our Mission

The academic mission of the center has been of foremost concern. It has provided training to students in multiple academic classes (Public Policy Analysis, Methods of Political Science, and Political Parties & Interest Groups, for example) and practical experience to others employed to conduct its surveys.

The Center provides a platform to educate our students on the proper and ethical design of research studies, the selection of appropriate methodologies, and implementation of research plans, and the analysis and interpretation of results.

Our Methods

The Florida Southern College Center for Polling and Policy Research is dedicated to utilizing ethical practices in all of its research and to maintaining high levels of statistical and scientific competence in its work.

All surveys are designed in accordance with professional standards and studies involving the use of human subjects are pre-cleared by the Florida Southern College Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to implementation. We have experience with all aspects of public polling: questionnaire design, sample selection, the collection of responses, weighting, and the analysis and reporting of results. Additionally, we are equipped to handle a variety of policy analysis projects. All studies are overseen by the Center’s Director and affiliated faculty.

Our Research

2020 Florida Democratic Primary Election Poll

As the nation’s attention turns to the Florida primaries, our survey reveals a close fight between Joe Biden and Michael Bloomberg, with Bernie Sanders closely trailing the pair. Using live callers, the Florida Southern College Center for Polling and Policy Research conducted a telephone survey of registered, likely, Democratic primary voters across the state. This survey took place during the evenings of Monday, February 17th through Friday, February 21st, and elicited responses from 313 likely voters (translating into a margin of error of ±5.54).

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2019 Public Policy Attitudes in America Poll

As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear a trio of cases concerning the ability of employers to discriminate against their employees on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identities and President Trump’s ban on allowing transgender recruits from joining the military is enforced, this survey presents results indicating registered voters in America are generally interested in these policy debates and supportive of expanding rights to members of the LGBTQ+ community.1 Utilizing responses from approximately 1,300 registered voters in the United States, we find that about half of our participants (48 percent) say LGBTQ+ issues are important to them and that a plurality believes our elected leaders should spend more time on these policy debates.

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2018 General Election Poll

With Election Day approximately one month away, races for Florida’s highest offices continue to be close. Using live callers, the Florida Southern College Center for Polling and Policy Research conducted a telephone survey of registered, likely, voters across the state. This survey took place during the evenings of Monday, October 1st through Friday, October 5th and elicited responses from 476 likely voters with an overall margin of error of ±4.49.

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2017 Reforming American Political Parties Poll

There is widespread support for reforming the system of political parties in America, but little agreement on the specific changes needed. Using Survey Monkey’s Audience product, the Florida Southern College Center for Polling and Policy Research commissioned a poll of 1,124 residents of the United States on November 20, 2017. Seventy-seven percent of respondents agree that some type of reform is needed within the Democratic Party and 82 percent believe the same regarding the Republican Party. Examining only those who identify as members of each party, 75 percent of Republicans believe their own party needs to be reformed and 72 percent of Democrats believe the same.

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2016 Florida Presidential Primary Preference Poll

This poll was taken from Saturday, January 30th through Saturday, February 6th, 2016. Calls were made from the campus of Florida Southern College during the hours of 6-9pm; exclusive of Saturday, Jan. 30th (3pm-6pm); Sunday, January 31st (3pm-6pm) and Saturday, Feb. 6th (1pm-7:30pm).

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Questions? Contact

R. Bruce Anderson, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Political Science

Dr. Sarah D. and L. Kirk McKay Jr. Chair in American History, Government, and Civics

Ordway - 128

863.680.4311

785.727.3309

863.616.6407

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