Entering the home stretch of what is forecasted to be an extremely close presidential election, polls estimating which candidate is ahead nationally or in swing states are making nearly daily headlines.
Campaign Weathervane, a new, publicly available educator’s resource from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, invites you to try to navigate the winds of public sentiment in every U.S. presidential race since 1940. Anticipate the national mood on key issues surveyed during each cycle, and your favorability rating could boost you into the Oval Office.
The game and related curriculum materials are primarily aimed at high school students in advanced U.S. history and government classes, helping to introduce young people to the science of survey research and the importance of polling in global democracy. With support from Cornell Engineering’s Cooperative Education Experience program and the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement, undergraduate and graduate students designed and promoted the website and resources as the latest initiative from the Roper Center’s America’s Voice Project, which seeks to expand access to its archive of high-quality public opinion research.