Polling Institute

The Western New England University Polling Institute, established in 2005, conducts nonpartisan research on public policy issues at the local, state, and regional levels. The Institute, equipped with 23 state-of-the-art computer-assisted telephone interviewing stations, provides the University's faculty and students with valuable opportunities to design and carry out public opinion research. The Institute also conducts survey research for government agencies, news media, and nonprofit organizations.

Survey Finds Democrats and Republicans Have Widely Different Views of The Nutmeg State 

Inflation and the economy, taxes and government spending, and abortion are the dominant issues that Connecticut voters are considering as they prepare to elect a governor, according to a poll sponsored by CT Insider and Channel 3 Eyewitness News in Hartford and conducted by the Western New England University Polling Institute.

The poll of 626 likely voters, conducted Sept. 15-21, asked voters to identify the most important issue to them in choosing a candidate in the Nov. 8 election. Democratic Governor Ned Lamont is running for a second four-year term against Republican business executive Bob Stefanowski. The poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus five percentage points, found Lamont leading Stefanowski in the governor's race by a margin of 55 to 40 percent among likely voters.

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Republican Challenger Levy Less Well Known as Campaign Enters Home Stretch  

Democrat Richard Blumenthal leads Republican Leora Levy by a margin of 53 percent to 40 percent in the race for a U.S. Senate seat from Connecticut, according to a poll sponsored by CT Insider and Channel 3 Eyewitness News in Hartford and conducted by the Western New England University Polling Institute.

The poll of 626 likely voters, conducted Sept. 15-21, also found that 46 percent of likely voters have a favorable view of Blumenthal, while 42 percent have an unfavorable view. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

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With Six Weeks To Go, Republican Challenger Stefanowski Has Steep Hill To Climb

Democrat Ned Lamont leads Republican Bob Stefanowski by a margin of 55 percent to 40 percent in the Connecticut governor’s race, according to a poll sponsored by CT Insider and Channel 3 Eyewitness News in Hartford and conducted by the Western New England University Polling Institute.

The survey of 626 likely voters, conducted Sept. 15-21, found that a slight majority also view Lamont positively, with 51 percent saying they have a favorable view of the first-term governor, while 36 percent said they view him unfavorably. Stefanowski, on the other hand, was underwater in his favorability rating, with 36 percent of likely voters viewing him unfavorably and 31 percent of voters viewing him favorably.

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Director, Western New England University Polling Institute 

Dr. Tim Vercellotti is a professor of political science at Western New England University and director of the Polling Institute. He teaches courses in survey research, media and politics, and political behavior. Prior to joining the faculty at Western New England University, Dr. Vercellotti was director of polling at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. He holds a doctorate in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Notre Dame.