Cambridge University Press has published “The Cambridge Handbook of Implicit Bias and Racism,” including a chapter, “Public Attitudes on Implicit Bias,” by Yulia Baskakova, Gary Langer and Allison De Jong of Langer Research Associates and Prof. Jon Krosnick of Stanford University. The chapter, reporting on a representative, probability-based national survey, as well as a review of public claims and policies on the topic, finds “significant disconnects between the state of the science, public pronouncements, and the public’s understanding of implicit bias.” We identify widespread claims in the public realm that implicit bias can be measured reliably, influences behavior and can be mitigated through training, and substantial public acceptance of these claims – all matters on which the scientific evidence is inconclusive.

The survey data and other materials relating to the chapter are publicly available at https://bias-study.parc.us.com. We’re grateful to SSRS for donating data collection services.

Another chapter was co-authored by members of the Reporting Committee of the National Science Foundation Conference on Implicit Bias, including Bernadette Park, Richard Petty, Joshua Correll, Lisa Feldman Barrett, Vince Hutchings, Sabine Otten, Christopher Parker, William von Hippel and Langer, reporting on findings from a two-day conference on the topic convened by the NSF in September 2017. The book was edited by Krosnick, Prof. Tobias Stark of Utrecht University and Amanda Scott.

Research Analyst Jaclyn Wong presented her work on gender-based perceptions of household tasks at the Gender and Gender Inequality Workshop at Stanford University in November and at the Social Psychology Workshop at UC Santa Barbara in December. Preliminary analysis of the research, conducted with collaborators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Northeastern University during her time as an associate professor of sociology at the University of South Carolina, finds that unpaid housework performed by women was seen as less enjoyable but more effortful, more time-consuming, more important and more financially valuable than the same tasks performed by men. In seeing such work by women as more personally costly but more beneficial to the family, people may see the costs of doing housework as “worth it” for women, but not men, because it produces greater collective benefits. The research was conducted among a nationally representative sample of 2,495 adults using an experimental vignette in which key details including the main character’s gender were randomized among survey respondents. The research was supported by a grant from the Time-Sharing Experiment in Social Science (TESS) Program, funded by the National Science Foundation.

The Monday before the presidential election we produced an analysis, published on ABCNews.com, looking at the economic, demographic and cultural factors that have brought the country to this political place. On Election Night we produced live exit poll analysis for ABC News, covering results nationally, in the seven battleground states and in three additional states with closely watched contests. Donald Trump leveraged historic economic discontent to broaden his base and win convincingly. See our wrap-up of the night’s results here and a subsequent piece on abortion and the election here.

As Election Day nears, our latest ABC News/Ipsos poll finds the race in a close 49-46 percent, Harris-Trump, among likely voters. Americans head to the polls beset by financial concerns, a dissatisfaction with the choice of candidates and a feeling the country has gotten pretty seriously off on the wrong track. Still, each candidate has reasons for optimism as they present their final arguments: Harris looks strong among women, young women especially, while Trump performs well in his base of white voters without college degrees.

We’ll also be working behind the scenes on Election Day providing live exit poll analysis for ABC News’ TV coverage of the results. Tune in Tuesday at 7 p.m. for more.

Kamala Harris regained a slight lead over Donald Trump among likely voters in our latest ABC News/Ipsos poll, with Trump maintaining advantages on the economy and immigration, Harris on abortion, health care and most personal attributes. Results show both candidates consolidating their support among key demographic groups – including, for Trump, rural and white men without college degrees; and for Harris, Hispanic people and liberals. In another analysis, we report that half the country sees Trump as a fascist, vs 22 percent who say the same of Harris. Beyond ABC, results have been picked up by The Washington Post, Newsweek, USA Today, The Hill, The Denver Gazette, Forbes, MSNBC, NJ.com, The New Republic, Daily Kos and Business Insider.

Our latest ABC News/Ipsos poll finds a tightened presidential race, with sour views on the economy, differing preferences on issues such as abortion and immigration and a close split on whether people think the nation’s best days are ahead or behind it, all corresponding to vote preferences. A separate analysis examines Kamala Harris’ challenges defining herself as a change agent given her role in the unpopular Biden administration; a third piece finds both campaigns running even in voter contacts in the battleground states, albeit with a slight edge for Harris in voter assistance. Results have been covered in outlets including The Washington Post, Yahoo News, Newsweek here and here, The Denver Gazette and The Bulwark, among others.

Israelis broadly pick Donald Trump over Kamala Harris as better for Israel’s security and in turn favor Trump for the U.S. presidency in a national poll we’ve produced in partnership with PORI (Public Opinion Research Israel). Sharp political divisions in these results underscore the fault lines in Israeli politics.

While attention now is on Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah and Iran, the September survey also finds majority Israeli rejection of the suggestion that Israel is doing too little to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza. To the contrary, “considering the challenges of conducting battles in populated areas,” 54 percent said Israel is doing too much to avoid such casualties.

The brief national survey was conducted via face-to-face interviews in Hebrew and Arabic, Sept. 8-22, 2024, among a random national sample of 1,012 respondents.

See our report here and pickup by ABC News and The Times of Israel.

The Charles Butt Foundation’s newly released 2024 Texas Education Poll finds Texans are overwhelmingly supportive of increasing state funding for a range of initiatives in K-12 public schools, including expanding career and technical training for students, providing tutoring for students with learning gaps and providing classroom support staff for teachers.

Eighty-four percent of public school parents in the state are satisfied with the quality of their child’s education and 70 percent give their community’s public schools an A or B grade, up from 56 percent in the Foundation’s inaugural 2020 poll. Texans also are supportive of teachers, with 75 percent saying they should have a great deal or good amount of influence in what’s taught in their community’s public schools, more than say so for other groups.

The extensive survey also explores Texans’ support for increasing state funding for various wraparound services, factors in school quality, their engagement and involvement with their local public schools, parent-teacher communication and school vouchers, among other topics.

We’re proud to have produced the fifth annual Texas Education Poll for the Charles Butt Foundation. See the full report here.

Americans by a 22-point margin see Kamala Harris as the winner of last week’s presidential debate and 37 percent in the latest ABC News/Ipsos poll say her performance made them see her more favorably – compared with 17 percent who say the same of her opponent, Donald Trump. Still the poll finds the contest essentially unchanged from pre-debate levels: While Harris maintains her small lead overall, Trump holds steady advantages in trust to handle the economy and inflation, the two issues Americans consistently say will be most important in determining their vote. In another illustration of just how locked-in the electorate is, the poll finds no positive impact for Harris from singer-songwriter Taylor Swift’s recent endorsement: Just 6 percent of voters say it makes them more likely to vote for her, vs. 13 percent less likely. See coverage of the poll in Forbes, Barron’s, Mother Jones, The New York Post, Newsweek and The Hill, here and here.

It’s our fifth consecutive year producing the Charles Butt Foundation’s Texas Teacher Poll. This year’s statewide survey of Texas public school teachers identifies several challenges in the profession: Seventy-seven percent of Texas teachers feel they are not paid a living wage, with the median salary failing to keep pace with inflation; and 78 percent report having seriously considered leaving their position in the past year, holding at an elevated level since 2022. At the same time, camaraderie is high, with eight in 10 feeling highly valued by other teachers at their school, and the shares who feel valued by their administrators and by their students’ parents have increased since 2022.

The poll also covers teachers’ views on the biggest problems facing their schools, administrative support, classroom autonomy, leadership and career opportunities and school vouchers, among other topics. You can read the full report here.