Lab News and Updates

Most Iowa Parents Would not Change the Timing of Having Children in 1981

Thursday, May 7, 2026
Results from Iowa Poll #248 revealed that most Iowans said they would have children at the same time if they could do it over again. These data come from Iowa Poll #248, a random sample survey of 1011 Iowans from April of 1981, which has been restored as part of a larger project to recover lost data from past Iowa polls.

In 1981, Iowans were Planning to Spend Their Money on Taking Vacations or Increasing their Savings

Thursday, May 7, 2026
Data restored from a 1981 Iowa Poll shows that the purchases Iowans were most likely to consider were vacations, home improvements, and treasury certificates. Further, if they were given $1,000, they were most likely to save or invest it or use it to pay off debts. These data come from Iowa Poll #248, a random sample survey of 1011 Iowans from April of 1981, which has been restored as part of a larger project to recover lost data from past Iowa polls.

In 1981, Iowans Believed People were Honest in When Answering Public Opinion Polls

Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Data restored from a 1981 Iowa Poll shows that Iowans overwhelmingly believed that people tell the truth when answering questions for public opinion polls. These data come from Iowa Poll #248, a random sample survey of 1011 Iowans from April of 1981, which has been restored as part of a larger project to recover lost data from past Iowa polls.

Most Iowa Parents in 1981 Were Happy with the Number of Children they Had

Monday, May 4, 2026
Results from Iowa Poll #248 revealed that most parents in Iowa said they would have the same number of children if they could do it over again. These data come from Iowa Poll #248, a random sample survey of 1011 Iowans from April of 1981, which has been restored as part of a larger project to recover lost data from past Iowa polls.

Iowans Divided in 1981 on Whether a Restaurant Would Trust them to Pay Later If They Forgot Their Wallet

Monday, May 4, 2026
Results from Iowa Poll #248 revealed that Iowans were split on whether they would expect to be trusted to return to a restaurant and pay if they had forgotten their wallet. These data come from Iowa Poll #248, a random sample survey of 1011 Iowans from April of 1981, which has been restored as part of a larger project to recover lost data from past Iowa polls.

Iowans Trusted Public Opinion Polls In 1981

Friday, May 1, 2026
Data restored from a 1981 survey show that a majority of Iowans believed cars made in the United States were of the best quality and favored restricting the number of cars foreign manufacturers could sell in the United States. These data come from Iowa Poll #248, a random sample survey of 1011 Iowans from April of 1981, which has been restored as part of a larger project to recover lost data from past Iowa polls.

Iowans Favored Restrictions on Importing Foreign Cars in 1981

Friday, May 1, 2026
Data restored from a 1981 survey show that a majority of Iowans believed cars made in the United States were of the best quality and favored restricting the number of cars foreign manufacturers could sell in the United States. These data come from Iowa Poll #248, a random sample survey of 1011 Iowans from April of 1981, which has been restored as part of a larger project to recover lost data from past Iowa polls.
IPOL poster presentations SURF 2026

IPOL Students Present at the 2026 Spring Undergraduate Research Festival

Thursday, April 30, 2026
IPOL students presented a research poster with some of our findings from Iowa Poll #248 from 1981 at the Spring Undergraduate Research Festival sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research.
IPOL students present our poster at the 2026 MPSA conference

IPOL Students Present at the 2026 Midwest Political Science Association Conference

Thursday, April 30, 2026
IPOL students presented a research poster with some of our findings from Iowa Poll #248 from 1981 in Chicago at the Midwest Political Science Association's annual meeting.

Following the 1981 Assassination Attempt on President Reagan, Iowans Strongly Favored Keeping Presidents in Contact with the People

Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Data restored from a 1981 Iowa Poll shows that Iowans broadly favored keeping the President in contact with the people in spite of the risk of assassination. These data come from Iowa Poll #248, a random sample survey of 1011 Iowans from April of 1981, which has been restored as part of a larger project to recover lost data from past Iowa polls.