Frequently Asked Questions: Rasmussen Reports 2018 Citizen-Sponsored Midterm Polling

What is this project?

Rasmussen Reports has invited Americans of all political persuasions to consider contributing to our first ever Citizen-Sourced National Midterm Election Polling Project. Managed by Rasmussen Reports and powered by Go-Fund-Me, this project will target Senate and gubernatorial races in up to 20 key national midterm election battleground states.

What is Rasmussen Reports?

Rasmussen Reports is a nonpartisan independent electronic data company specializing in the collection and publication of public opinion polling information. The company conducts national tracking surveys five nights a week on political, economic and lifestyle issues. Additional polls on state elections and other topics are routinely added to the mix. 

Rasmussen Reports' work is followed by millions on a wide variety of media platforms. We regularly release our results at RasmussenReports.com, America's most visited public opinion website, and through a daily email newsletter, Twitter and Facebook. “If it’s in the news, it’s in our polls” is more than our slogan. It’s how we do business.

Is Rasmussen Reports affiliated with a particular political philosophy or party?

Rasmussen Reports is an independent polling firm with a bi-partisan staff. We do not endorse any political philosophies, parties or special interest groups. Importantly, unlike other polling firms, Rasmussen Reports does not contribute money to candidates or political parties or groups.

Is Rasmussen Reports founder Scott Rasmussen involved with your work?

Mr. Rasmussen left the company in July 2013 and has had nothing whatsoever to do with the company since that time. Rasmussen Reports core management team has been responsible for all polling and reporting for the past 5 years including the company’s successful 2014 & 2016 national election cycles.

Is this a for-profit project?

No. There will be no profits charged or accepted by Rasmussen Reports on this project. Sponsorship contributions to the Rasmussen Reports Citizen-Source project will cover direct and indirect polling and reporting costs for up to four separate polling cycles for each of the designated battleground states. Rasmussen Reports will remain solely responsible for all polling matters including timing, questions, fielding, tabulations and reporting. Overall project contributions will be capped so as not to over-raise funds we cannot use specifically on project polling and reporting costs.

Why are you doing this?

On November 9, 2016 millions across America were stunned by the outcome of the presidential elections. Many still are. Our readers were not surprised because we always told them it was a close race. The U.S. polling industry then conducted a series of 2016 ‘self-autopsy’s’ on their own overall performance and declared themselves essentially blameless. Many in America don’t believe this for a second. This Rasmussen Reports undertaking today is solely about getting accurate independent unaffiliated 2018 midterm election battleground state polling data out and into the hands of American voters.

What is your polling track record?

Unlike our critics and the vast majority of the 2016 pollsters and pundits that confidently predicted Hillary Clinton’s historic presidency, Rasmussen Reports told readers the 2016 presidential race was always close. Then our polling targeting the Popular Vote nailed the exact margin between the top two candidates. Our 2016 polling work also correctly informed readers that issues, not the media-fed controversies, would ultimately decide the election.

Rasmussen Reports’ 2014 full national midterm election polling results, the first under our then new management team, were also remarkably accurate: We correctly called 33 out of 36 Senate races (92% accuracy) and 32 out of 36 governor races (89% accuracy), with 2 races judged too close to call.

Unsurprisingly, our track record generates jealousy and attacks, with many continuously calling us outliers. We’re not the outliers, they are.

What is your polling methodology?

Rasmussen Reports collects data for its survey research using an automated polling methodology.  Survey questions are digitally recorded and fed to a calling program that determines question order, branching options, and other factors. Calls for part of our daily sample are placed to randomly-selected landline phone numbers through a process that insures appropriate geographic representation.

Using a single, digitally-recorded voice to conduct landline interviews ensures that every respondent hears exactly the same question from the exact same voice asked with the exact same inflection every single time. And the process is completely private. There is no live operator to potentially pass judgment on the respondent’s answers.

Like many other pollsters, we now also draw a sizable percentage of our daily sample survey results from special demographically balanced Internet Panels to capture the growing number of Likely Voters who no longer have landline telephones. These panels are increasingly important because, unlike live-operator calls to cell phones, they both reach younger Likely Voters and do so while maintaining their personal privacy – just like in the voting booth.

To learn more about the specifics of our polling procedures, consult our methodology page. 

Why do you think your blend of IVR Interactive Voice Response polling ("Robo-Calling") and Internet Panels is superior to live operator surveying?

Because it enhances survey respondent privacy. Rasmussen Reports did a survey in late August of 2016 in which we asked Likely Voters: Compared to previous presidential campaigns, are you more likely or less likely this year to let others know how you intend to vote? Or do you feel about the same? Seventeen percent (17%) of Republicans – nearly one-in-five – said they were less likely in 2016 to tell someone how they intended to vote. That compared to just 10% of Democrats. If you’re looking for why Mr. Trump was the upset winner contrary to the predictions of other pollsters and pundits, this is a good place to start.