SC Connecticut News

Among the polls used by statistician Nate Silver to predict the presidential race was one conducted by Yale undergraduate students. The Yale Youth Poll, founded by Milan Singh and Jack Dozier at the Institution for Social and Policy Studies (ISPS), surveyed voters aged 18-29.

Dozier, a political science major, identified a gap in youth polling compared to institutions like Quinnipiac or Harvard Institute of Politics. He collaborated with Limor Peer from ISPS and connected with Singh through faculty fellow Josh Kalla.

Kalla noted, “What they did was very sophisticated.” The poll required an idea, funding, implementation, data analysis, and dissemination—tasks usually undertaken by professional pollsters.

ISPS supported the initiative through its Democratic Innovations program. Alan Gerber, ISPS Director, expressed support: “We are always open to supporting entrepreneurial students...we could not be more impressed with the group at Yale Youth Poll.”

The team included Zachary Donnini as lead data scientist and others in media and data roles. They crafted questions on elections, policy reforms, and civic knowledge with feedback from Kalla and Gerber. After navigating necessary processes, they surveyed 5,500 registered voters.

Gerber highlighted a distinctive feature: questions on threats to democracy and possible reforms. The poll showed Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump among young voters. It also indicated younger voters' progressive leanings and lower civic knowledge than older electorates.

Singh aimed for nonpartisanship despite being a registered Democrat: “I’m aware of my biases...I didn’t do it as a Democrat but as an American who wants to receive clean, objective data.”

Dozier emphasized incorporating diverse perspectives: “The poll represents the university but also getting non-biased information.” He hopes younger people will become more politically engaged over time.

Post-election plans include exploring new topics and recruiting underclassmen skilled in computer science or statistics. Dozier acknowledged ISPS's crucial support: “The money was important...but money will only go so far if you don’t have the knowledge to refine the survey.”

Interested students can contact Yale Youth Poll via email for participation opportunities.