Trump’s poll numbers are bad! No wait, they’re good!
Interpreting the polls is more about perspective than ever right now.
Like most professional associations, the one I’m part of has an email listserv. And on that listserv last week, someone asked why public polls are not putting out data on the Trump administration. I mean, I know I live and breathe this stuff, but I was just astounded that someone who pays attention and cares enough to send an email to a listserv would have missed the dozens of public polls we’ve had looking at the Trump administration. We’re at no loss for data.
What I see as the main complexity right now, and what I wrote about in my column this week, is interpreting the overall state of public opinion about Trump, the administration, and its policies. Polls show very mixed views right now — some policies are popular, some are not. Some policies are popular in the abstract, but not in the details. A lot of people don’t know the details.
Media outlets and politicians and influencers can all choose their own adventure and stay true to the data. They can find data points in any given poll to look good or bad for the current administration.
Perhaps more than ever, the media someone pays attention to — where they get their information — determines what they think polls show about Trump.