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Battleground Poll

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.

New Poll Shows Republicans and Democrats agree the most partisan arm of the other party presents a threat to democracy

GU Politics released a new edition of the Battleground Poll on March 21 which highlights that an alarming number of Americans across party lines share a deepening fear that our very system of government is under threat, but for very different reasons.

81% of respondents stated that they believe democracy in America is currently being threatened March 2024 Battleground Poll
88% of respondents believe leaders of different parties finding compromises together can help lower political division March 2024 Battleground Poll
88% of respondents believe protecting voting rights is a way to strengthen democracy in our country March 2024 Battleground Poll

What Is The Battleground & Civility Poll?

Battleground Poll

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.

Civility Poll

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.

Meet The Pollsters

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.

Ed Goeas, President of The Tarrance Group, and Celinda Lake, President of Lake Research Partners

With Support from American Policy Ventures

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.

american policy ventures logo

GU Politics Executive Director Mo Elleithee discusses the major findings from our July 2022 Battleground Poll on Morning Joe.

MSNBC Morning Joe: Voters rate political division as the main issue facing the country - Joe Scarborough & Mo Elleithee on screen

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 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

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.

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…

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…