The Times Opinion Project: What Do Young Undecided Voters Think about Donald Trump and Kamala Harris During the November 1821 Attended Capitol Hill Attack?

Times Opinion started a new project following a group of young undecided voters through the election and we discussed Donald Trump and Kamala Harris just before the Democratic National Convention. The group had opinions on the president. The attack on the Capitol in January of 2021 was a turning point for many of them who held Mr. Trump responsible. They said he was not trustworthy, a traitor, and a narcissist. He had lost an election before, and some were worried he would lose again.

Ms. Harris did no better than a five when we asked them to rate the two candidates. Mr. Trump got mostly fours and fives, and topped out with a seven.

But there was a difference in how the group criticized the two candidates. Most of them had doubts about Ms. Harris — how she would improve the economy, whether she supported Israel, if she was patriotic, what she knew about President Biden’s cognitive abilities. She was labeled fake by them. Most were suspicious of Ms. Harris, yet detested Mr. Trump. They knew him.

Sunday night was an unexpectedly exciting time in the Anderson household: Just after dinnertime, my husband got called and asked to participate in an election poll. I was just getting my toddler ready for bed when he rushed into the room with a phone and baby in one hand and a speaker in the other so that I could hear the questions.

There’s a real thrill you get as a pollster when you get to peek behind the curtain and see how someone else in your field is asking voters what they think. But it was also a reminder of how messy social science can be. Here was my husband, telling this very nice interviewer what he thought about, among other things, immigration and Tim Walz, all while pacing the hallway bouncing a bedtime-bound infant. I think about what others are doing when I answer survey questions.

As we near Election Day, Americans’ interest in polls will only increase. Election forecasting models are being heavily scrutinized. Huge headlines can be caused by small shifts in polling results. As we start this post-Democratic convention week, when analysts will be combing for any hint of a bump for Kamala Harris, it’s worth keeping in mind that there are lots of things that make polling art as much as science.