Sources

The ANES Time Series surveys American voters around every presidential election (and most midterms through 2002). The Cumulative Data File harmonizes about a thousand repeated measures (trust in government, party ID, issue scales, group and candidate thermometers, vote choice, and demographics) across 33 studies, 1948-2024.

Pew's compilation of the share of Americans who trust the federal government to do what is right just about always or most of the time, from Pew, the National Election Studies, Gallup, ABC/Washington Post, CBS/New York Times, and CNN polls since 1958, with breakdowns by party, party and ideology, and race and ethnicity. Note: From 1976-February 2025, the smoothed trend line represents a three-survey moving average. Data prior to 1976, and the most recent number (September 2025), are from individual polls.Sources: Pew Research Center, National Election Studies, Gallup, ABC/Washington Post, CBS/New York Times, and CNN surveys.

NORC's long-running survey of American attitudes, behaviors, and attributes, fielded annually 1972-1994 (with gaps) and biennially since; the core source for trends in confidence in institutions, spending priorities, social trust, and social issues.

Large online survey of American adults run by a consortium of university teams and fielded by YouGov. Even years: about 50,000-65,000 respondents interviewed before (Oct) and after (Nov) the election; odd years: 10,000-26,000 respondents in Nov-Dec. Common Content covers demographics, partisanship, approval, economic perceptions, and policy batteries.

CPS supplement on civic life and social connectedness: time with friends, family, and neighbors, favors among neighbors, political discussion, contacting officials, boycotting, group membership, volunteering, giving, and news use. Fielded in September of odd years since 2017; its predecessor, the November Civic Engagement Supplement (2008-2013), also asked about trust in neighbors and confidence in institutions.

Biennial November supplement to the CPS, the monthly labor-force survey of about 54,000-60,000 households, asking US citizens 18+ whether they registered and voted, how and when they voted, and why they did not. Measures behavior, not opinion. Very large samples with state geography; self and proxy reports.

Monthly survey of about 1,300 household heads since June 2013 on expectations for inflation, jobs, income, spending, credit, and home prices, with probabilistic (percent-chance) questions.

Annual Federal Reserve Board survey of US adults' financial well-being: emergency savings, credit, banking, employment, gig work, housing, education debt, retirement, and views of the economy. Basis of the report Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households.

Experimental online survey of US adults run by the Census Bureau with partner agencies (BLS, CDC/NCHS, USDA ERS, HUD, and others) from April 2020 to September 2024: 63 weekly or biweekly 'weeks' and nine four-week Phase 4 'cycles', each a fresh sample of roughly 40,000-133,000 adults with state geography. Covers lost employment income, difficulty paying usual household expenses, food sufficiency, rent and mortgage arrears, expected eviction or foreclosure, anxiety and depression (PHQ-2, GAD-2), vaccination, health insurance, and more. Succeeded in 2025 by the Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey (HTOPS).