Wilder School in Action

The Commonwealth Poll

A bellwether in unpredictable times

He doesn’t hesitate to take the four flights of stairs to his office in the Wilder School’s Scherer Hall. His days are In an unpredictable year in which Virginia’s gubernatorial election provided a riveting read on national politics, the Wilder School’s Commonwealth Poll offered an insightful pulse into citizens’ perspectives on many key issues.

In 2021, the poll surveyed Virginians on a range of topics such as voter intentions, vaccine hesitancy, mental health, taxation and law enforcement perceptions. The results, reported in national media outlets including The Washington Post and The New York Times, are invariably setting a tone for the Youngkin administration and beyond.

“For more than three decades, the Commonwealth Poll has been a vital indicator for policymakers and journalists in determining what issues are important, how candidate qualities may affect voters’ decisions and how much support there is for particular policy changes,” said 66th governor of Virginia L. Douglas Wilder. “Its purpose is to make good on the promise of a government of the people, for the people, and by the people by ensuring that public sentiment is heard in the policy discourse.”

“...the Commonwealth Poll has been a vital indicator for policymakers and journalists in determining what issues are important, how candidate qualities may affect voters’ decisions and how much support there is for particular policy changes.

Wilder, a distinguished faculty member, has served as the official voice of the Commonwealth Poll since 2017. That same year, the Commonwealth Poll was selected as a featured Presidential Election Poll by CNN, a coveted distinction based on a rigorous review of methodologies and assumptions to ensure polling entities are employing the gold standard in public opinion research. Gov. Wilder’s insights and analysis on the poll, gleaned over the course of nearly a half century of experience in electoral politics, have helped to elevate the profile of the survey considerably.

The Commonwealth Poll is produced by a team that includes Robyn McDougle, Ph.D., associate dean of research and outreach, and Brittany Keegan, Ph.D., director of research and engagement at the Wilder School. Poll topics covered in spring 2022 included a focus on potential midterm wedge issues including voter support for continued remote learning, education curricula and charter schools, redistricting and the economy.

Spring 2022 / In this issue