Reports from the field
Compass Polls, our national public polling research series, make timely opinion research accessible. Browse our analyses, articles, and press releases.
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Change Research Ranks Among Most Accurate 2026 Pollsters
Change Research tied for 3rd most accurate among 32 national polling organizations in AtlasIntel's 2026 midterm evaluation, finishing alongside the New York Times/Siena College and RMG Research. Our Compass Poll tracked the Democratic wave from a 7-point congressional lead in September to 11 points in October; the national count is now heading toward 13. Here is how the numbers held up across the ballot.
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Lots of Congratulations to Spread Around: Change Research’s Clients and Their 2026 Midterm Impact
Congratulations to the candidates and organizations Change Research worked with this cycle, who won more than 60 races on Election Night (with more being counted) as Democrats flipped the House and Senate in a historic midterm. From unseating a Texas governor to breaking a legislative supermajority in Ohio, our clients delivered some of the most consequential results in recent Democratic politics, and we were honored to play a part.
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A Major Shift Among Michigan's Arab and Muslim Voters
A new Change Research poll for New Arc Collective finds a dramatic shift among Arab and Muslim voters in Michigan since 2024. Arab and Muslim voters also report high motivation to vote.
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Ahead of Election Day, Most Voters Are Hopeful, Worried, or Determined
As Election Day approaches, 32% of registered voters say they feel hopeful about this November’s elections, while 24% feel worried and 23% feel determined. Young voters and Independents skew more negative, with 38% of voters ages 18-34 saying they feel exhausted.
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Voters Rate U.S. Healthcare Costs
A Change Research national survey of 2,045 registered voters, conducted August 8-13, 2026, finds high ratings for medical care quality, but low ratings for costs. More than half of voters say they or someone in their household skipped or delayed medical care in the past year due to cost.
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Americans Say They’ve Changed Their Shopping Habits Because of Food Safety Concerns
71% of voters say they've personally changed their shopping or eating habits due to recent food safety concerns, and 64% say they've noticed more recalls than usual this year. 75% of voters have little or no trust in the FDA, and 75% say the same of the EPA; 51% don't trust each agency at all. Democrats are more likely than Republicans to express zero trust in either agency.
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Democratic candidates for Congress are more trusted to handle corruption and inflation
Ahead of the 2026 midterms, a national Change Research poll of 2,240 registered voters finds the generic Democratic House candidate leading the generic Republican by 11 points (50% to 39%). Voters trust Democratic candidates more on government corruption and inflation, the two issues most cited by Independents, with Republicans holding an edge only on immigration.
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Most Voters Say Canada Trade Fight Will Cost Them
74% of voters say the ongoing trade dispute with Canada will cause U.S. prices to rise, with 44% saying prices will go up "a lot." 58% call the dispute an unnecessary fight with a close ally. Among voters who have followed the dispute, 50% say Prime Minister Mark Carney is more effectively looking out for his country than President Trump at 37%.
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Voters Share K-12 Concern; Disagree About Causes
79% of voters are extremely or very concerned about K-12 schools and students underperforming in the US, with the level of worry steady across party lines. The agreement stops there: Democrats point to underfunding and teacher shortages as the primary causes, while Republicans cite curriculum drift and lowered standards.
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What Voter Motivation Reveals About 2026
Democrats lead in the latest Change Research Compass Poll, but by how much depends entirely on who shows up to vote. Voters who say they are certain to cast a ballot lean heavily Democratic; voters who are less committed lean Republican, and many haven't made up their minds. Stephen Clermont examines what the motivation gap reveals about the November electorate.
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Voters Back Ethics Reforms for Congress and Courts
The August 2026 Compass Poll finds majority, cross-party support for maximum age limits for Congress (83%) and the presidency (78%), banning congressional stock trading (88%), a Supreme Court ethics code (90%), and a post-service lobbying restriction (88%). One proposed measure partially shifts the pattern: requiring presidential tax return disclosure draws 58% support among Republicans, against 95% of Democrats and 87% of independents.
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Who Draws the Map? Voters Weigh In
A majority of voters oppose states redrawing congressional maps specifically to gain partisan seats, and 55% support independent redistricting commissions over state legislatures. But when the August 2026 Compass Poll asked voters to describe a fair congressional map in their own words, many could not.
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Corruption Is Rising as A Top Voter Issue
Government corruption tops voters' list of most important political issues in August 2026, cited by 40% of registered voters nationally, up six points from 34% in February. The finding draws cross-partisan agreement, with 43% of Democrats, 46% of independents, and 36% of Republicans all ranking it near the top of their lists, even as open-ended responses show they mean very different things by the word.
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Support for U.S.-Israel Defense Goals Varies
A Change Research national poll finds that support for expanded U.S.-Israel defense cooperation varies considerably by goal, with broad agreement on counterterrorism intelligence sharing and nuclear non-proliferation but division on removing Iran's leadership and on protecting Israel.
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Voter Views on September 11, 25 Years Later
Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, a new Change Research survey explores how Americans remember the attacks, what they believe happened, and how they assess the policies and wars that followed. The findings reveal some partisan and generational divides on questions of accountability, legacy, and choices of the post-9/11 era.
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Most Americans Say the Iran War Is Not Worth Fighting
A new Change Research survey finds that 57% of Americans say the Iran war is "not worth fighting," and nearly half say the conflict could go on "indefinitely." Democrats and independents mostly feel the war is not worth fighting; Republicans disagree.
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The Gender Gap in Political Ambition Persists in 2026
Women just set a new candidacy record for governor. But a new Change Research survey of 2,006 voters finds one gap hasn't moved: men are still far more likely than women to say they've thought about running for office, 36% to 20%. The qualification gap is even wider. Here's why it hasn't closed in two decades.
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Change Research Moves the Needle in the 2026 Primaries
Change Research's polling accuracy held up across the 2026 primary cycle, including a call in Los Angeles's City Council District 11 that landed within half a percent of the final result. Change Research's Dynamic Online Sampling approach delivered reliable numbers for campaigns up and down the ballot, and the data revealed clear voter enthusiasm and generational divides heading into November.
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