Favorability numbers can hide more than they reveal

by Brandon Burley and The Redemption Project Favorability numbers look simple. Favorable. Unfavorable. Never heard of them. Heard of them, but no opinion. Four boxes. One table. Easy headline. But public opinion is rarely that clean. A new national registered-voter poll from Overton Insights asked voters about several public figures, including Candace Owens, Spencer Pratt, Erika Kirk, Ben Shapiro, Hasan Piker, Graham Platner and James Fishback. The results are useful. They are also a reminder that favorability numbers can hide as much as they reveal. A public figure can be well-known and disliked. Another can be unknown to most voters. Another can be popular with one group and deeply unpopular with another. Another can look similar in the topline while having a completely different coalition underneath. Favorability is not a scoreboard. It is a map of familiarity, emotion and political identity Paid subscribers receive early access to every article because their support helps make this work possible. That said, I believe civic knowledge should remain accessible, so this article will unlock for all readers in 24 hours. If you’d like immediate access — and want to support independent, systems-focused journalism — consider becoming a paid subscriber. Brandon Burley is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Favorability is not the same as popularity Read more