At the Independent Center, we polled 600 registered Michigan voters. In this article, we will take a look at the sentiment of these voters heading into the 2024 elections including: how they’re relating to the election, key issues that are top of mind, and voting intentions. You can view the full survey data by joining the movement.  Majority Disapprove of Candidates In our Michigan Target State Survey, we asked registered voters in Michigan “How do you view the current political climate in America?” They were given 5 options: ‘very positively,’ ‘somewhat positively,’ ‘somewhat negatively ..read more

There’s a gendered political gap in America, and it seems to be growing. On average American women are more likely to appear to lean left and pro-government in their political convictions.  In our national voter survey from January 2024 we asked participants “In politics today, and regardless of how you are registered, do you consider yourself to be a…“ They were given 7 options to select from that ranged from “Strong Democrat” to “Strong Republican” with leaning and Independent options in between. A total of 34% of women polled were either “Strong” or “Not So Strong” democrats, while onl ..read more

American education policy matters a lot. It’s one of the main means we invest in future generations, thus investing in the future of the United States itself. Over the past 4 years, we’ve seen a massive increase in voter dissatisfaction with our national k-12 education system. According to Gallup in 2023 63% of surveyed Americans were either somewhat dissatisfied or completely dissatisfied.  This dissatisfaction has been capitalized on by advocates of school choice, a catch-all term for a range of policies that allow for increased choice by families when selecting where students learn. Of ..read more

One of the most curious data trends in American political life is the tension between the optimism of an American’s local and personal life and the typical pessimism, or at least uncertainty, concerning national political life. Here’s an example from Ed Choice. When Americans were polled on their views regarding local education: “Among all respondents, 60 percent would assign their local schools an ‘A’ or ‘B’ grade with only 8 percent assigning a ‘D’ or ‘F’ grade.” However when it came to the national educational landscape: ‘[…] approval drops drastically—only 24 percent would assign an ‘A’ or ..read more

In 2016 Trump won the federal presidential election. This outcome surprised many political scientists and news anchors. His rallying call to “build the wall!” motivated Republican voters en masse. Back in 2016, immigration mattered a lot. Unsurprisingly immigration remains a hot topic two elections later. For the upcoming presidential election, 21% of American voters ranked Immigration as the most pressing issue in America. This makes it the second most picked choice in the Independent Center’s ongoing polling of issues. Their first pick was “Jobs and The Economy”, reflecting American anxietie ..read more

Independent Center 2024 Nationwide Survey of Registered Voters Online survey among n1002 registered voters nationwide Get the latest insights on American Registered Voters in our nationwide registered voter survey.  Poll includes: General Sentiment Political Favorability Sentiment Issue Importance Next Election Series Messaging Series Demographics Download toplines pdf One of a kind poll looking at the issues that matter most to independents and their views on key social and economic issues. Join our newsletter for latest news, exclusive poll access and detailed cross-tabs. Contact us w ..read more

Primaries are practice; they aren’t the final step of the election “game.” Primaries are in place to figure out who your party is going play come game time. And generally speaking, unless you personally know one of the candidates or they have done something for you specifically, you want your party to put the best player on the field. And the best player Republicans have, according to the numbers, is Nikki Haley, not Trump. I acknowledge that Donald Trump is leading the Republican field “big-league.” On Real Clear Politics (RCP’s) national aggregates, he’s up by about 50 points or ..read more

Swing states. We’ve all heard the buzz term. A swing state refers to any state likely to have a significant influence on upcoming federal elections, characterized by the unpredictable nature of its outcome, with both major political parties having a viable opportunity to secure victory. If you care about elections, you should pay attention to these states, like Arizona and Pennsylvania. While lists may vary slightly, sources like The Hill give us six states that fit this description. Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona and Georgia Here at the Independent Center, we’ve be ..read more

“Because to take away a man’s freedom of choice, even his freedom to make the wrong choice, is to manipulate him as though he were a puppet and not a person.” ― Madeleine L’Engle  (2008). “The Young Unicorns”, p.202, Macmillan Americans who identify as Independent make up over 40% of registered voters. These types of voters are a hard bunch to study. What do independent voters want? By definition, they all hold unique belief systems that aren’t easy to fit in a box. However, our research at the Independent Center (download it here) suggests at least one common theme: On nearly every subj ..read more

Over the past decade, voters identifying as LGBTQ+ have more than doubled. What’s more, this group is growing. The LGBTQ+ demographic is now a larger voting bloc than the suburban, white, mothers that pundits love to discuss on election night. Both parties, and their candidates, would be wise to look that the numbers as the LGBTQ+ community could decide the 2024 election.  A Gallup tracking study from 2012 to 2023 shows that those self-identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or something other than heterosexual increased from 3.5% in 2012 to 7.6%, steadily increasing ..read more