The Battleground Poll is a national bipartisan survey that has been reliably measuring political opinion among registered voters in the United States for nearly thirty years. Produced by Republican strategist Ed Goeas of The Tarrance Group and Democratic strategist Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners, this polling series offers unique polling analysis and insights from two top pollsters from different sides of the aisle. Now that the poll is housed at GU Politics, it features a special section on civility.
GU Politics released a new edition of the Battleground Poll on November 21 which shows that after the intense political rhetoric over recent months, feelings of division among voters dropped significantly.
Explore Poll Results
GU Politics became the home of the Battleground Poll in early 2019, with the first poll under GU Politics released in April 2019. This poll was specifically designed to capture how voters see the other side of the aisle. It investigates trends in demographics and voter attitudes, and investigates where independent voters stand on candidates and contemporary issues. The Battleground Poll presents conclusions from the same dataset through the perspectives of Lake Research Partners and the Tarrance Group.
After the Battleground Poll became a part of GU Politics, a second component to the Battleground Poll was developed to specifically measure and track voter attitudes on civility in politics. The Civility Poll looks at opinions of registered voters on the state of civility in our national political conversation, painting a long-term picture of how Americans view compromise and common ground in the political arena.
Ed Goeas, President of The Tarrance Group, and Celinda Lake, President of Lake Research Partners, are leaders in developing, analyzing, and publishing the Battleground Poll.
Meet The Pollsters
The poll is made possible by the generous support of American Policy Ventures, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to reducing polarization through more productive policy dialogue across party lines.
Learn more about APVGU Politics Executive Director Mo Elleithee discusses the major findings from our July 2022 Battleground Poll on Morning Joe.
GU Politics Executive Director Mo Elleithee discusses the major findings from our June 2021 Battleground Poll on Morning Joe.
GU Politics Executive Director Mo Elleithee broke down the major findings from our August 2020 Battleground Poll on Morning Joe.
GU Politics Executive Director Mo Elleithee sat down with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews and former Fellow Michael Steel to discuss some of the highlights found in the April 2019 Battleground Poll.
Battleground Poll, News Clips
MSNBC: Voters rate political division as the main issue facing the country
Votes rate political division as the number one issue facing the country, according to new GU polling. Mo Elleithee and Kurt Bardella join Morning Joe to discuss.
June 17, 2021
Battleground Poll, News Clips
Washington Examiner: Voters decry division, want Washington to Git-R-Done: Battleground Poll
According to the just-issued Battleground Poll, division ranks a 73 out of 100 and 32% of voters rank political polarization as one of their top two issues. The second is government spending.
June 15, 2021
Battleground Poll, News Clips
The Hill: Poll- Voters say political division top issue facing US
The Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service’s battleground poll found that roughly one third of respondents — 32 percent — see the nation’s current divisions as one of their top two issues, topping those who said the same of the coronavirus pandemic, health care and economic issues such as jobs and taxes.
June 15, 2021
