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WEBINAR: How to Use Opinion Research in Your Advocacy Efforts

We were proud to partner with Campaigns & Elections Advocacy Insider on this webinar. We had a great discussion on how to use polling and other opinion research in your lobbying efforts. You can click on the video below or find the video at this link: https://www.campaignsandelections.com/videos/how-to-use-research-to-optimize-advocacy-campaigns?fbclid=IwAR01qzVssympELChFxuoNzONE0frHT_xJHkjlBLk7U6b1cyYdX8k9e25zdo

Probolsky Research is a Latina and woman-owned non-partisan research firm, conducting polls, focus groups and other market and opinion research for corporate, election, government and non-profit clients.

 

4 Reasons Not to Pause Research During the Coronavirus Crisis

https://www.campaignsandelections.com/campaign-insider/4-reasons-not-to-pause-research-during-the-coronavirus-crisis

It’s easy to find excuses not to poll or conduct focus groups.

Whether it’s Super Bowl Sunday or the Thursday before President’s Day weekend, there’s always someone on the team who thinks the timing isn’t right to survey voters. While these opinions might have merit, there’s rarely a reason to wholesale pause consumer or voter research for any extended period of time.

Even in the face of this current national crisis, we’re polling and conducting online focus groups with success. In fact, with so many people at home looking for things to do, we’re seeing an uptick in respondents’ interest and enthusiasm.

From where we sit, here’s how polling looks during the coronavirus pandemic:

Campaigns and businesses need polling right now.

Organizations need to understand the nuances of this crisis and the proper way to communicate with each audience segment. Last month, a Pew Survey found differences in how Americans assessed coronavirus risks and changed behavior based on age, political party, and state of residence.

Even when stay-at-home orders are officially lifted, we’re likely to see lingering effects based on the intensity of these early initial attitudes. Polling is the only proven way to inform your changing tactics and develop tailored messages.

Voters are answering their mobile phones and survey questions online.

Our survey response rates are up since most Americans have been “safer at home.” Participation in online focus groups is through the roof. Americans are craving social interaction and the chance to share their opinions with someone other than their dog and the echo chamber of their social media feed. The image you might have conjured in your head of people cowering in fear in their bathtub isn’t real.

If you think lonely people eager to respond to your poll will bias the results, I can assure you that boredom and loneliness have always been major motivators for survey takers – in good times and crises alike.

People will talk politics during this crisis.

We are Americans. We have three 24/7 news channels mostly dedicated to talking about politics. People who live in Arizona subscribe to the New York Times and people who live in Florida subscribe to the Washington Post. We have even somehow created a hyper-political discussion around a prescription medication that might treat a virus. Trust me, people want to talk about politics.

We’re also seeing partisan differences in how people are responding to the crisis. For example, the Pew Survey found that Republicans are more likely than Democrats to feel comfortable visiting with a friend or going grocery shopping during the crisis.

Things are changing quickly, but winging it is never a good idea.

During the Democratic presidential primary, the campaigns didn’t stop polling when a competitor dropped out. They got right back into the field with another survey to figure out how to capture undecided voters.

Unfortunately, there’s also a real possibility that the coronavirus has fundamentally altered our way of life for the foreseeable future. The 1918 Spanish flu experienced three waves, with the second wave deadlier than the first. Absent a vaccine or cure, many Americans will be wary to rush out to ball games, or family reunions.

Political campaigns, industry and government agencies need to understand how to effectively communicate during this uncertainty. For associations or down-ballot campaigns with limited research budgets, the fundamental data from a poll will remain valuable for months. It’s better to obtain that critical data now and put it to work in a way that can help guide an organization through these uncertain times.

Adam Probolsky is president of Probolsky Research, a Latina- and woman-owned independent elections and public policy research firm.

Adam Probolsky on The Lobbying Show

Earlier this year Adam Probolsky was a guest on The Lobbying Show with Jim O’Brien. It’s a very insider podcast about the advocacy business. Jim is well connected and very smart. They had a great conversation about how polling and opinion research in general integrates into the advocacy process.

You can listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-deep-dive-into-the-polling-process/id1401504350?i=1000437938890

 

Ballotpedia Insights Q&A with Adam Probolsky

You can watch Probolsky Research president, Adam Probolsky speak with Ballotpedia’s Director of Outreach in this 45 minutes webinar about polling and opinion research.

 

[Probolsky Research featured] Gavin Newsom reveals plan for California DMV. Why he warns of longer wait times

Gavin Newsom reveals plan for California DMV. Why he warns of longer wait times

July 23, 2019

by Bryan Anderson

https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article233014987.html

Things could get worse before they get better at California’s Department of Motor Vehicles, according to a new report Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office released Tuesday.

As many as 28.2 million Californians could request a Real ID between March 2019 and October 2020, raising the possibility of long wait times for customers and a return to the hours-long delays seen last summer.

“The DMV is not out of the woods yet,” the report said. “Significant challenges remain between now and October of 2020, and these strains may continue to mean frustrating wait times for customers.”

Newsom called for the review of the DMV when he took office in January, recognizing that a host of technology and customer service problems had damaged Californians’ confidence in their government. An April poll from Probolsky Research found that nearly one in four California voters, including 39 percent of Republicans, thought the DMV was in such poor shape it could not be fixed.

Should Cities and Counties Face Punishment For Not Allowing New Housing?

Many parts of California are experiencing housing shortages and a serious lack of affordable housing. We queried California voters on whether cities and counties should face punishment for holding back on rezoning properties suitable for housing to allow for more densely populated development.

While we have seen pushback against new housing by residents in communities that have seen significant growth in recent years, a plurality of voters still say they support punishing local governments who stand in the way of new housing.

 

Probolsky Research conducted this poll and is releasing these results for public-interest purposes. We had no client, nor did we receive any compensation.

CA Voters: DMV like any other government bureaucracy

Sacramento Bee: “Today, nearly one in four California voters, including 39 percent of Republicans, think the DMV is in such poor shape it cannot be fixed, according to a Probolsky Research poll conducted last month.”

Read the article by Bryan Anderson here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article229967789.html#storylink=cpy

With so much reporting lately and what seems like the ever present public angst over the Department of Motor Vehicles, we decided to ask California voters how they really feel about the agency. It turns out that only about one-quarter of voters say the DMV is so bad there is no way to fix it. Looking at the results by demographic and geography, only Republican voters stand out with 39% saying it’s broken beyond repair.

Most voters think the DMV is like any other government bureaucracy.

Probolsky Research conducted this poll and is releasing these results for public-interest purposes. We had no client, nor did we receive any compensation.

Prop. 6 “Gas Tax Repeal” Failing

We included Proposition 6 on our latest statewide poll. We conducted this poll and present these results for public interest purposes. We had no client on this measure.

Proposition 6 is on track to fail in November.

Our latest polling shows 48% of voters oppose the measure when presented with the title they will read on their ballots.

Fewer than 60% of Republican voters support the gas tax repeal.

It is important to point out the obvious, that the ballot title does not say, “repeal the gas tax” which is how the opposition is presenting their message. As the voter contact campaign kicks into gear, we expect changes in the numbers.