President Jimmy Carter’s wife Rosalynn famously said, “Don’t worry about the polls. But if you do, don't admit it.”

Unfortunately, in today's heated political landscape and 24-hour news cycle, the former First Lady’s advice simply doesn't hold water. So in this episode, we welcome Isabel Hollaway ’19, the assistant director at Emerson Polling, to help us pull back the curtain on the study of public opinon — to understand what it is, how it works, and why it’s important.

ABOUT OUR GUEST...Isabel Holloway is the program assistant for Emerson College Polling, where she previously worked as a student staffer before graduating from Emerson College with a B.S. in Political Communication in 2019. In this role, Holloway has contributed to Emerson Polling's growing recognition as one of the must trusted public opinion research organizations in the U.S., according to FiveThirtyEight, and earning citations in media outlets across the country. Holloway has coordinated projects with clients including Nexstar Media, the Association of Marshall Scholars, and All In Together, as well as participated in survey design and data analysis of Emerson surveys. In her research efforts at Emerson, Holloway is currently studying the impact of mode of data collection between IVR, online, and SMS surveys in Emerson’s 2020 electoral polling.