Jason Husser
Director of the Elon University Poll and Associate Professor | Elon University
Elon, NC, UNITED STATES
Pollster and North Carolina Politics Expert
Spotlight
Biography
Dr. Jason Husser has two primary roles at Elon: Director of the Elon University Poll and Associate Professor of Political Science and Policy Studies.
Dr. Husser researches American political behavior and survey methodology. From 2012 to 2016, he served as Assistant Director of the Elon Poll. He became Director of the Elon Poll in summer 2016.
Using a computer-assisted telephone interviewing lab on campus, Elon University conducts frequent statewide surveys on issues of importance to North Carolinians. Information from these polls is shared with media, citizens and public officials to facilitate informed public policy making through the better understanding of citizens’ opinions and attitudes.
Areas of Expertise (7)
North Carolina Economy
Survey Design and Methodology
Polling
Southern Politics
North Carolina Politics
Public Opinion
Political Science
Media
Publications:
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Videos:
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Education (2)
Vanderbilt University: Ph.D., Political Science 2012
Southeastern Louisiana University: B.A., Political Science 2005
Links (2)
Media Appearances (12)
Living in a Trump state? You are more likely to benefit from the Republican tax cut
McClatchy DC Bureau online
2019-07-31
An article from the Washington, D.C. bureau of the McClatchy media chain that focused on the impact of the Republican tax cuts passed by Congress in 2017 featured insights from Jason Husser, associate professor of political science and director of the Elon University Poll.
NC Judges to Decide Whether Partisan Bias Along District Lines Has Any Room In Our State's Constitution
WFMY News 2 tv
2019-07-17
A broadcast news story by Greensboro, North Carolina, CBS station WFMY News 2 featured insights from Jason Husser, associate professor of political science and policy studies and director of the Elon University Poll. The story, "NC Judges to Decide Whether Partisan Bias Along District Lines Has Any Room In Our State's Constitution," focuses on ongoing litigation involving the practice of gerrymandering in North Carolina and whether the state's district lines have been illegally drawn to benefit one part over another.
Here's who NC voters want to run against Trump in 2020
The Charlotte Observer, The Raleigh News & Observer online
2019-03-14
The article features the results of an Elon University Poll that assessed what N.C. voters think about top Democratic candidates for president.
North Carolina Sets New Date for Redo Election in Congressional House Race
The New York Times online
2019-03-04
This article focused on the controversy surrounding the 2018 9th Congressional District election includes insights from Jason Husser, director of the Elon University Poll.
Republicans and Democrats are divided on how big a problem election fraud is in NC
The Charlotte Observer online
2019-03-01
“Now months out from the tainted 9th District election, North Carolina voters are broadly skeptical of elections in the state,” said Jason Husser, director of the Elon Poll and an associate professor of political science at the university. “A majority of the electorate has clear concerns about the fairness of future elections and the extent of fraud.”
North Carolina House seat empty as race remains uncertified
Special Report with Bret Baier, FOX News tv
2019-01-04
Jason Husser, associate professor of political science and director of the Elon University Poll, recently offered his insights into the controversial outcome of an N.C. Congressional race for Special Report with Bret Baier, a nightly national news program from FOX News.
Setting the Stage for November 6th, The Congressional Races, Judicial Elections, The Constitutional Amendments, Legislative Races
NC Spin
2018-10-26
This edition of NC SPIN, the weekly public affairs program hosted by Tom Campbell and appearing on WUNC, featured Jason Husser, associate professor of political science and director of the Elon University Poll.
In North Carolina, hurricanes did what scientists could not: Convince Republicans that climate change is real
The Washington Post online
2018-10-18
The results of a survey conducted by the Elon University Poll following Hurricane Florence generated significant and widespread coverage by the media, particularly those results relating to how N.C. voters' opinions about climate change have shifted over time.
FOX News features Husser's insights on N.C. redistricting court battle
Elon University online
2018-08-29
Jason Husser, associate professor of political science and director of the Elon University Poll, offered his thoughts on the implications from a recent court ruling in the lawsuit challenging the state's Congressional districts.
Why Cities Can’t Stop Poaching From One Another
New York Times online
2018-06-08
Even in the most hostile communities for Amazon, like Denver and Austin, there’s still enough support that folks could run a campaign off of it,” said Jason Husser, the director of the Elon poll. In that poll and others, he said, voters don’t appear to be weighing the long-term costs of incentives (of, say, giving resources to companies and sports teams instead of schools). “They’re thinking about the prestige get, whether that’s an Amazon headquarters or a sports team,” Mr. Husser said.
Candidates face the loaded question of gun control
Greensboron News & Record
2018-03-31
The pattern going back to the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado has been an uptick in activism for greater gun control that eventually subsides without producing profound and lasting results, said Husser, assistant professor of political science and policy studies who also directs the Elon Poll. Acknowledging that he runs a risk of seeming cynical, Husser said he is not sure the momentum now behind this issue is powerful enough to rival the strong, age-old relationship between how the economy is doing and outcomes in mid-presidential term elections. “If they’re happy with it, they tend to reward the president’s party,” Husser said of the economy.
Polling Positions
UNC TV Science online
“So what we find is that of the 17,000 numbers we’ve called so far in this survey, in 7,000 calls nobody answered. There was just nobody there,” says Husser, as he moves the mouse to look through the list. “In 3,500 cases people refused to participate, 569 numbers were busy, 2,000 lines weren’t working at all and 200 people who answered didn’t speak English. So we have made about 17,000 calls to get the 788 responses we’ve achieved so far for this survey.”
Articles (3)
We Are Happier than We Realize: Underestimation and Conflation in Measuring Happiness
Journal of Happiness Studies
Jason A. Husser, Kenneth E. Fernandez
2017 The study evaluates a very common question designed to measure happiness: “Taken all together, how would you say things are these days–would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?” Through five representative survey experiments, we show that (1) this survey item underestimates the level of happiness with one’s life; (2) this is because the measure is more likely to reflect satisfaction with the state of the world rather than personal life; (3) this measures is more susceptible to priming; (4) the addition of three words “in your life” to the item greatly reduces priming and question order effects; and (5) the addition of these three words produces results that are very similar to life satisfaction measures that include “in your life” and are more positively associated with income. These results provide evidence that a simple correction better measures personal happiness. Furthermore, our findings reassess the foundation of a considerable volume of scholarship about how politics and income is associated happiness. We Are Happier than We Realize: Underestimation and Conflation in Measuring Happiness.
Engaging a Campus During a Tumultuous Election: A Case Study
Political Science and Politics
Carrie P. Eaves, Jason A. Husser
2017 Following the 2016 presidential election, many political scientists likely are considering how to best prepare their institutions for future election cycles. Organizing a university community is no easy task, considering that universities are complex organizations often difficult to steer, young voters turn out infrequently (File 2014), voter-registration laws change, and the academic political climate often is volatile (DeSantis et al. 2016). Following is a description of Elon University’s Political Engagement Working Group (PEWG), which was tasked with voter registration and education in the 2016 election cycle. Elon University is a midsized private university located in North Carolina, a swing state. This article describes a case study of PEWG’s efforts to provide an anecdotal road map for other political scientists who want to coordinate future efforts for voter engagement. Working with a broad group of university staff and students allows political scientists to extend their reach outside of their classroom and department to reach the broader university community affected by an election.
Polling the Pollsters: A Survey of Academic Survey Organizations
Political Science and Politics
Jason A. Husser, Kenneth E. Fernandez, Mary G. Macdonald
2016 Organizations conducting survey research have remained of vital importance to the social sciences. However, these organizations increasingly face new challenges and opportunities. Survey operations housed in universities and colleges may face special challenges. We present a poll of pollsters, an original survey of leaders of academic survey organizations in the United States. Results explore the various methods used by academic survey organizations and perceptions of challenges in today’s academic and research environments. Responses provide an overview of the career path of academic survey leaders and how those leaders understand the primary missions of their organizations. We conclude with a discussion relevant to social scientists interested in the dynamics of operating these important academic research centers.
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