What Emerson College Polling does

Emerson College Polling is a non-partisan research center operating within Emerson College, a private educational institution in Boston. The organization conducts and publishes public opinion polls on US elections, policy issues, and civic topics, producing national polls, state polls, Senate polls, and congressional district polls, supplemented by specialized research in Hispanic voter attitudes, public health, and polling methodology. Its technical foundation is a multi-mode survey research platform that uses MMS text-to-web, email, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), and online panel interviews, with sample frames drawn from Aristotle voter files and weighting based on US Census parameters across gender, education, race, age, party registration, and region. The center maintains credibility intervals of approximately +/- 2.8-3% on national surveys and +/- 3.2-5.2% on state-level surveys.

The business model is institutional rather than commercial. Emerson College Polling is funded primarily by Emerson College as part of its academic and research mission, with specific polls underwritten by media sponsors including Nexstar Media Group entities (PIX 11, KELOLAND, Inside California Politics) and The Hill. Results are distributed publicly at no charge through the organization's website, email newsletter, and Twitter (@EmersonPolling, 32,431 followers), with reach amplified through media partner distribution channels. The center serves three primary constituencies: media organizations requiring credible polling data, the general public seeking non-partisan political information, and the Emerson College academic community using polling as a teaching and research resource. The unit is led by Executive Director Spencer Kimball and operates with 11-50 employees as a non-profit entity with no external investors, funding rounds, or public revenue disclosures.

Name

Emerson College Polling

Legal name

Emerson College

Website

https://emersoncollegepolling.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Emerson College Polling is a non-partisan academic research center within Emerson College that conducts and publishes public opinion polls on US elections, policy, and civic issues, distributing results through its website, media partners including Nexstar outlets and The Hill, and social channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Opinion Polling Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro primary industry

Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC), Civic Literacy (Voting, Rights, Community Participation) (EDAAAAAH)

Keywords

• Public opinion polling
• Election survey research
• Voter attitude research
• Political polling services
• Survey methodology research

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Survey Research Services: Emerson College Polling operates as a non-partisan research center funded primarily by Emerson College. Some polls are conducted in partnership with media organizations (Nexstar Media, PIX 11, KELOLAND, The Hill, Inside California Politics) who sponsor the research. Results are published publicly while serving as a teaching and research resource for Emerson College.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Emerson College Polling is a non-partisan research center that designs, administers, and publishes public opinion surveys on U.S. elections, political candidates, policy issues, and civic topics. It produces national, state, Senate, and congressional polls using multi-mode survey methodology, and releases results publicly through its website, social media, and media partnerships while serving as a teaching and research resource for Emerson College.

Product overview

Emerson College Polling is a non-partisan polling organization that administers opinion surveys to understand public attitudes and beliefs. The organization offers a portfolio of polling products including National Polls covering nationwide voter opinions and presidential approval, State Polls for gubernatorial and statewide races, Senate Polls for Senate elections, and Congressional Polls for House races. These are supplemented by specialized research services covering methodological research, Hispanic voter research, and public health research. The company operates as a service-based organization producing polling data rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Polls National opinion surveys measuring voter attitudes, candidate preferences, approval ratings, and key issues facing the country, conducted for U.S. voters and distributed publicly.
• State Polls State-level opinion polling covering gubernatorial races, statewide elections, and state-specific issues, with sample sizes ranging from 350 (congressional district) to 875-1,500 (statewide).
• Senate Polls Polling focused on U.S. Senate races and incumbent senator approval ratings.
• Congressional Polls Polling covering U.S. House of Representatives races, congressional district elections, and incumbent performance.
• Methodological Research Research focused on advancing polling methodology and improving survey accuracy and representation, including the ability to replicate historical polls for trend analysis.
• Hispanic Research Specialized polling and research focused on Hispanic/Latino voter attitudes and behaviors.
• Public Health Research Polling and research on public health topics, including attitudes toward healthcare policy and related issues.

Quantifiable outcome

• National polls typically have credibility intervals of +/- 2.8-3%
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PIX 11 / Nexstar Media GroupcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPIX 11, a Nexstar Media Group station, partners with Emerson College Polling for New York City congressional polling. The survey was sponsored by PIX11 of Nexstar Media, demonstrating an ongoing media partnership for polling distribution.
• KELOLAND (KELO-TV)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerKELOLAND, a South Dakota television station, partners with Emerson College Polling for state polling. The survey was sponsored by KELOLAND and conducted by Emerson College Polling, representing a regional media partnership.
• Inside California PoliticscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInside California Politics, a Nexstar Media Group publication, partners with Emerson College Polling for California gubernatorial and statewide polling. Multiple California polls were conducted in partnership with Inside California Politics.
• The HillcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Hill newspaper partners with Emerson College Polling for state and national polling, including swing state surveys. The survey was conducted by Emerson College Polling and sponsored by Nexstar Media.
• AristotlecoreTechnology or IntegrationAristotle provides voter file data used by Emerson College Polling for sample frame construction and data weighting. Data sets were weighted by gender, education, race, age, party registration, and region based on U.S. Census parameters and voter file data from Aristotle.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Public Policy Polling: Public opinion polling firm producing national and state political surveys, often through media partnerships. Directly comparable in election-polling product set and media-sponsored distribution.
• Morning Consult: Large-scale survey research and polling firm publishing frequent political and consumer-tracking polls. Comparable in polling methodology, media partnerships, and election-cycle product offerings, though commercially larger and broader in scope.
• SurveyUSA: Polling firm conducting state and national political surveys, often media-sponsored. Comparable methodology, sample sizes, and battleground-state coverage to Emerson.
• Monmouth University Polling Institute: Academic polling institute producing nationally recognized political and policy polls. Closely comparable in academic positioning, transparent methodology, and emphasis on non-partisan public-interest research.
• Marist Poll: Academic, non-partisan polling operation housed within Marist College, conducting national and state-level political and issue polling. Directly comparable to Emerson in mission, methodology transparency, and media-sponsored distribution model.
• Marquette Law School Poll: University-based polling operation focused on Wisconsin and national political surveys. Directly comparable in academic institutional backing and battleground-state poll coverage.
• Suffolk University Political Research Center: Boston-based university polling center producing political and issue polling, including statewide Massachusetts and national surveys. Closely comparable in academic positioning and geography.
• Quinnipiac University Poll: University-affiliated polling center releasing frequent national and statewide political polls. Competes with Emerson for media-sponsored battleground-state polling and similar likely-voter sample sizes.

Broad incumbents

• Pew Research Center: Major nonpartisan research institution conducting large-scale public opinion, demographic, and policy research. Overlaps with Emerson in non-partisan methodology and public-interest polling, but operates at substantially greater scale and scope.
• Gallup: Long-established polling and analytics firm covering political, economic, and social attitudes globally. Comparable in non-partisan positioning and political polling, but vastly broader in scale, history, and product portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/emersonpolling
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emerson-college

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Emerson College Polling