Welcome to the Franklin & Marshall College Poll Newsletter! Here, you can take a deep dive into Pennsylvania politics, elections, public policy, and topics of social interest.
The poll is conducted by F&M's Center for Opinion Research, where we're known for perceptive survey design and insightful analysis. On this site, we'll share what we've learned in over 30 years of conducting public opinion surveys. We'll also release all new F&M polls here.
Our goal is to encourage deeper thinking about what polls mean—to look not only at the results, but at the quality of a specific poll and what the polls collectively reveal about any given election or issue.
Subscribers get our newsletters via email, and also receive all new F&M Poll releases as soon as they are available. We hope you find our work helpful and informative!
Franklin & Marshall Poll Release: October 2025
The first poll since the 2024 election explores a number of issues, including AI, democracy, and the state Supreme Court retention election, along with the mood of Pennsylvania's voters and their ratings of President Trump and Governor Shapiro.
Is Pennsylvania Still a Swing State?
Democratic voter registrations are shrinking. We dive deeper into party switching data to see what this means for Pennsylvania's swing state status.
Fracking and the Rightward Shift of Working Class Voters
We argue that the transition from coal to natural gas in Pennsylvania has been an important driver in shifting how working-class voters think about the Republican and Democratic parties.
More of the Same: What the 2024 Election Results Tell us about Pennsylvania
Democrats experienced a deep loss in Pennsylvania in 2024. But does this mean the state--and the nation--are experiencing permanent political change? We analyze new data about voter behavior and the electoral landscape to answer this question.
Did Trump Reverse the Voter Registration Tide or Ride It?
Pennsylvania's partisan voter registration has tightened over the last decade. But did Trump really drive the changes? And do they represent a durable realignment that advantages Republicans?
Demographic, Attitudinal, and Electoral Changes in Pennsylvania Partisans Since 2000
We review some long-term trends in the partisan alignment of the state's voters, looking at demographic and attitudinal sorting, geographic realignment, and two issues--gun control and abortion. What does this mean for the state's electoral politics?
The One Big Beautiful Bill: Help or Hindrance to Republicans?
Although it cuts taxes, the One Big Beautiful Bill also significantly reduces Medicaid and SNAP benefits. Will this help or hurt Republicans in the 2026 Midterms in Pennsylvania?
2024 Pennsylvania Polling: Focusing on Performance in the Horse Race isn’t Good Enough
We explore how oversimplified postmortem polling assessments can be more harmful than helpful.
Thinking About Likely Voters...
There have been many comments and questions about the likely voter data reported in the October F&M Poll, and how we define likely voters. In this post, we address the two most common questions.
Franklin & Marshall College Poll Newsletter
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