Public opinion
Transparent methods produce research that policymakers and the public can evaluate with confidence.
Rainey Center weights by race, education, gender and 2024 election results to ensure we capture the Trump voters many people miss. Rainey Center weights are based on the Census data, voter file data, and election results.
Rainey Center uses high-quality online panels. All respondents are screened to ensure they are not bots. Every survey includes five different attention checks (e.g. asking favorability of a fake person) and a Captcha technology. We vet panels to ensure they are constantly innovating to stay ahead of bot responses.
Our February 2026 survey polled 1,008 registered voters, and our December 2025 survey included over 1,200 likely voters. Sample sizes vary by project, but we target a minimum that provides a margin of error of approximately ±3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
It depends on the sample size. Our February 2026 survey of 1,008 registered voters has a margin of error of ±3.3 percentage points. Subgroups (e.g., Republicans only, Independents only) will have larger margins of error because the sample size is smaller.
Weighting by 2024 vote choice is one of the most important steps we take. Many online panels under-represent Trump voters, which can skew results on nearly every issue. By calibrating to actual election results, we correct for that and produce a sample that reflects the real electorate, not just the people who are easiest to reach online.
It depends on the survey. Most of our issue-focused polls survey registered voters to capture the broadest possible picture of public opinion. When we’re focused on election-specific questions, we may screen for likely voters.
Typically two to three days. Our February 2026 survey was fielded February 25–27, and our January Issue Survey was fielded January 28–29, 2026. Short field periods help ensure we’re capturing a snapshot of opinion at a specific moment rather than blending shifting attitudes over weeks.
Rainey Center partners with Bedrock Research to field and manage our surveys.
