The Conversation

Why the margin of error matters more than ever in reading 2024 election polls – a pollster with 30 years of experience explains

Written by Doug Schwartz, Director of the Quinnipiac Poll, Quinnipiac University

A political opinion poll aims to get a representative sample of the wider public.borzaya/iStock / Getty Images Plus

In just about any discussion of a poll about the very close presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, you’ll hear the phrase “within the poll’s margin of error.”...

How beef became a marker of American identity

Written by Hannah Cutting-Jones, Assistant Professor, Department of Global Studies; Director of Food Studies, University of Oregon

Beef dominates American diets. In 2022, Americans consumed almost 30 billion pounds of beef.Johnrob/E+ via Getty Images

Beef is one of America’s most beloved foods. In fact, today’s average American eats three hamburgers per week.

American diets have long revolved around beef. On an 1861 trip to the United States, the English novelist...

Americans use the Book of Revelation to talk about immigration – and always have

Written by Yii-Jan Lin, Associate Professor of New Testament and Public Voices Fellow, Yale University

A French tapestry depicts Saint John the Evangelist gazing at the New Jerusalem.Octave 444 via Wikimedia Commons

During a campaign speech in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 19, 2024, Donald Trump promised to save the country from immigrants: “I will rescue every town across America that has been invaded and conquered, and we will put these...

Halloween candy binges can overload your gut microbiome – a gut doctor explains how to minimize spooking your helpful bacteria

Written by Christopher Damman, Associate Professor of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Washington

It's probably best to enjoy your Halloween spoils in moderation.Jupiterimages/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Each October, as the days shorten and the air grows crisp, millions of Americans prepare for the beloved – and often sugar-fueled – tradition of Halloween. From jack-o’-lanterns glowing on porches to costumes ranging from...

As more Americans go ‘no contact’ with their parents, they live out a dilemma at the heart of Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’

Written by Jeanette Tran, Associate Professor of English, Drake University

Losing a connection to your family, intentionally or not, is tragic.catscandotcom/E+ via Getty Images

Is blood thicker than water? Should family always come first?

These clichés about the importance of family abound, despite the recognition that familial relations are oftentimes hard, if not downright dysfunctional.

But over the past few...

How pollsters have adapted to changing technology and voters who don’t answer the phone

Written by Spencer Kimball, Associate Professor of Communications, Director of Emerson College Polling, Emerson College

Pollsters have developed a range of methods for selecting who is asked to answer poll questions.Guido Mieth/Moment via Getty Images

As the U.S. presidential election approaches, news reports and social media feeds are increasingly filled with data from public opinion polls. How do pollsters know which candidate is ahead in what swing state or with...

Florida and North Carolina are making it easier for people to vote after the hurricanes – but some risks remain

Written by Michael T. Morley, Assistant Professor of Law, Florida State University

People walk into an early voting site in Hendersonville, N.C., on Oct. 17, 2024.Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images

Polls opened in North Carolina on Oct. 17, 2024, as about 14,000 people in Asheville and surrounding areas remain without power in their homes following Hurricane Helene. In Florida, which started early voting in some counties on Oct....

Colonialism’s legacy has left Caribbean nations much more vulnerable to hurricanes

Written by Farah Nibbs, Assistant Professor of Emergency and Disaster Health Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Hillside streets can quickly become muddy rivers during hurricane rains in the islands.Estailove St-Val/AFP via Getty Images

Long before colonialism brought slavery to the Caribbean, the native islanders saw hurricanes and storms as part of the normal cycle of life.

The Taino of the Greater Antilles and the Kalinago, or Caribs, of the Lesser...

Women are at a higher risk of dying from heart disease − in part because doctors don’t take major sex and gender differences into account

Written by Amy Huebschmann, Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Rates of heart disease and cardiac events in women are often underestimated.eternalcreative/iStock via Getty Images

A simple difference in the genetic code – two X chromosomes versus one X chromosome and one Y chromosome – can lead to major differences in heart disease. It turns out that these genetic differences influence more than...

Victorian ghost photographs amused viewers with spooky thrills

Written by Andrea Kaston Tange, Professor of English, Macalester College

'The Haunted Lane,' a stereoscope card from L.M. Melander & Bro., 1875. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

October has long been associated with ghosts – from ancient Celtic festivals to ward off restless spirits after harvest time to the modern standby of using an old sheet to make a last-minute Halloween costume. In...