Poll Hub

Biden Approval Slides on Afghanistan Pullout

Episode Summary

Americans largely approve of the Afghanistan troop withdrawal but don’t much like how Biden handled it. And, even as Biden’s approval on handling COVID drops, vaccinations are going up and most vaccinated Americans say they’re ready for a booster. Plus, how the Census defines “white” could change how we poll.

Episode Notes

Despite broad public support for leaving Afghanistan to Afghanis, Americans are not pleased with how the troop withdrawal happened. Biden’s overall approval rating has slid to a new low in a new NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist Poll, at least in part, as a result.

Even approval of Biden’s handling of the pandemic has dropped a bit, despite the number of “vaccine refusers” declining and most vaccinated Americans telling us they’ll take a booster shot, according to another new Marist/NPR/PBS Newshour Poll.

NPR Correspondent, Hansi Lo Wang joins Poll Hub this week to talk about new Census data that’s gotten a lot of attention – the apparent big decline in the number of white Americans since the 2010 Census. But his reporting shows it’s not that simple. How the Census classifies “whiteness” and how Americans answer race questions has changed. That has potentially large implications for a lot of us, especially those of us who poll for a living.

Last but never least, Lee’s fun fact! How does Labor Day make you feel?

About Poll Hub

Each week, Poll Hub goes behind the science to explain how polling works, what polls really show, and what the numbers really mean. Poll Hub is produced by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, home of America’s leading independent college public opinion poll, the Marist Poll.

Lee Miringoff (Director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion), Barbara Carvalho (Director of the Marist Poll), and Jay DeDapper (Director of Innovation at the Marist Poll) dig deep to give you a look at the inner workings of polls and what they tell us about our world, our country, and ourselves.