Data for Progress

This October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and new Data for Progress polling finds disabled voters face higher rates of financial strain. Nearly half (45%) of disabled voters say they are very stressed financially, compared with 25% of non-disabled voters.

Heading into the 2026 midterms, financial stress is at the forefront of voters’ minds. A new Data for Progress survey finds that the factor most correlated with voters’ financial stress is their level of debt — the strongest relationship of any measure we tested.

NEW POLL: More than 3 in 4 voters (76%) would support a new transmission line in their community to connect more clean energy to the grid. In contrast, voters are 40 points less supportive of building transmission lines to connect more AI data centers. www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2026/10...

Voters are most confident that building new clean energy projects will lower costs, while 57% of voters say that building new data centers will not help lower costs. www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2026/10...

NEW POLL: A strong majority of voters think elected officials have done too little to prevent sexual assault. Women are especially likely to say so: 77% say officials have done too little, compared to 63% of men.

Overall, a majority of voters say that college sororities and fraternities have a negative impact on campus culture, including a higher percentage of women (60%) than men (47%).

NEW POLL: A strong majority of voters think elected officials have done too little to prevent sexual assault. Women are especially likely to say so: 77% say officials have done too little, compared to 63% of men.

NEW ALASKA POLL: In a ranked-choice voting simulation of Alaska’s Senate race, Democrat Mary Peltola leads Republican Senator Dan Sullivan by three points (47%-44%) in the first round. After eliminating the non-incumbent Daniel Sullivan and Heikes, Peltola leads 51% to 49%.

Alaska voters are split, 48%-48%, on a measure to repeal the state’s open primaries, ranked-choice voting system, & campaign finance disclosure rules. The cost of living ranks as the top issue for Alaskans — and voters want to hear more about affordability and less about transgender athletes.

NEW ALASKA POLL: In a ranked-choice voting simulation of Alaska’s Senate race, Democrat Mary Peltola leads Republican Senator Dan Sullivan by three points (47%-44%) in the first round. After eliminating the non-incumbent Daniel Sullivan and Heikes, Peltola leads 51% to 49%.

In the race for Alaska’s at-large U.S. House seat, Republican Nick Begich leads nonpartisan candidate Bill Hill by six points in the first round (48%-42%). His lead narrows to 51%-49% once other candidates are eliminated.

NEW POLL with Guardrails Action: Voters in Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio say they are less likely to vote for a candidate who takes money from AI companies. On net, that penalty is larger than the penalty for voting to cut billions from Medicaid.

In all three states, we find strong support for policies that mitigate the potential job losses from AI — including guaranteed jobs and health care.

NEW POLL with Guardrails Action: Voters in Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio say they are less likely to vote for a candidate who takes money from AI companies. On net, that penalty is larger than the penalty for voting to cut billions from Medicaid.

NEW POLL with @refugeesinternational.org and @refugeeadvocacylab.bsky.social: Voters across party lines strongly support the U.S. having a refugee program, including 78% of Democrats, 66% of Independents, and 55% of Republicans. Support rises to 90% among voters who know a refugee.

Voters overwhelmingly agree (76%) on a path to citizenship for immigrants who are authorized to work in the United States for over five years, have been paying taxes, have passed security checks, and who have no criminal record.

NEW POLL with @refugeesinternational.org and @refugeeadvocacylab.bsky.social: Voters across party lines strongly support the U.S. having a refugee program, including 78% of Democrats, 66% of Independents, and 55% of Republicans. Support rises to 90% among voters who know a refugee.

NEW: We find strong support for the Green New Deal for Public Housing, which would upgrade the U.S. public housing stock to be zero-carbon and energy-efficient. www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2026/10...

Our new polling finds that Americans have significantly reduced their participation in social activities over the last 30 years. There have been double-digit declines in Americans entertaining people in their homes, going to club meetings, and doing volunteer work since 1995.

In 1995, 88% of Americans said that they had entertained others in their home in the past year. In 2026, just 67% of Americans have done so — a 21-point decline. Church attendance has dropped by 20 points, and picnics and club meetings have dropped by 19 points.

NEW: A majority of voters now hold an unfavorable view of Flock cameras. In August, 41% of voters viewed the technology unfavorably. One month later, 52% are now unfavorable, for a -29-point margin. www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2026/9/...

Just because voters identify as “moderate” does not mean they are clamoring for conventional centrism. Most want candidates who will challenge billionaires and the political establishment. New op-ed from our Executive Director @rodonnell.bsky.social: thehill.com/opinion/camp...

Our polling finds that among self-identified moderates, a majority say billionaires are a sign of a dysfunctional economy. And while a majority of 2026 swing voters identify as moderate, they’re more interested in raising taxes on the wealthy than conservative cultural stances.

NEW: In a new survey with Hopelab, we asked young people aged 13-24 about their online habits. Nearly 3 in 4 young people say they "doomscroll" at least once a week, and 32% say they doomscroll every day or multiple times a day. hopelab.org/stories/doom...

When asked which types of content they doomscroll most, young people report consuming celebrity content, accidents or disasters, and crime or violence. hopelab.org/stories/doom...

NEW: With gas prices rising to more than $4.30 per gallon, we asked voters which party they blame more. By a 30-point margin, voters say the Republican Party is more responsible for rising gas prices. www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2026/9/...

NEW: Neither political party is trusted to address corruption, with the Democratic Party distrusted by a -6-point margin and the Republican Party distrusted by a -12-point margin. Independents are far more skeptical of Republicans, rating Republicans -41 and Democrats -19.