The South Dakota Polling Project
The South Dakota Polling Project is a research unit of the political science program housed in The School of American and Global Studies at South Dakota State University. In the spirit of our land-grant mission, we utilize our expertise in political science to analyze issues that are important to South Dakotans from an objective, scientific and non-partisan perspective. Recently, we have been fielding several polls on the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the lives and families of South Dakota. We also partner and collaborate with professors from fields outside of political science to explore research questions in a truly trans-disciplinary manner. Additionally, we give select students the opportunity to work side by side with faculty and develop the highly demanded skills of data collection, programming and statistical analysis.
In the News
The work of The South Dakota Polling Project has been featured regularly in a variety of national and international media outlets. Some of the attention comes to bear when our poll has valuable information when South Dakota makes national or international news. At other times, our academic research has generated interest or is applicable to a wide ranging audience. Outlets that have featured our work include: "Vanity Fair," ABC News, "The Hill," "The Washington Post," "USA Today," PBS "The News Hour" and "Berlingske" from Copenhagen Denmark.
We are also regularly featured in state and regional media outlets, as we actively maintain good working relations with reporters in these organizations. This is because a key component of our mission is to provide information that is of benefit to the state of South Dakota and its residents. Regional mentions include: South Dakota Public Broadcasting, "In the Moment," KELO news, Dakota News Now, "The Argus Leader," "The South Dakota Standard," "The Rapid City Journal," "South Dakota News Watch" and "The Mitchell Republic."
Press Releases and Publications
Fall 2023 Poll
The Spring 2023 Poll
The 2022 South Dakota Election Study
- South Dakota Sharply Polarized as 2022 Election Approaches - Oct. 14, 2022
- Voters are Supportive of Medicaid Expansion and Split on Recreational Marijuana - Oct. 13, 2022
- South Dakotans' Opinions on the Access to Abortion - Oct. 12, 2022
- The Race for Governor is Tighter than Many Expected - Oct. 11, 2022
May 2022 Survey
- Partisan Differences on Perceptions of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and Transgender Athletes - May 18, 2022
- Support of Major Political Figures in South Dakota Remains Mostly Unchanged and Deeply Polarized - May 17, 2022
- Incumbents Have Solid Support in the Republican Primary and South Dakotans Support the Impeachment and Removal of Attorney General from Office - May 16, 2022
COVID-19 Family Impact Survey
- Deepening Partisan Polarization on Most Political Figures in South Dakota - Sept. 23, 2021
- South Dakotans’ Thoughts on the Origins of COVID-19 - Sept. 22, 2021
- The Rights to Know and to Refuse Service Based on COVID-19 Vaccination Status - Sept. 21, 2021
- Disagreements Over COVID-19 Prevention Measures Strain Relationships with Friends and Family - Sept. 17, 2021
- South Dakotans Are Cool Towards Incentives for COVID-19 Vaccination - Sept. 15, 2021
- On Questions of COVID-19 Mitigation Methods, South Dakotans are Sharply Polarized - Sept. 14, 2021
- South Dakotans Split on Support for Vaccination Passports - Sept. 9, 2021
- South Dakotans Remain Strongly Polarized on Getting Vaccinated - Sept. 8, 2021
COVID-19's Impact on the Older Workforce Survey
- The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Work-family Balance of Older Employees in South Dakota - Aug. 17, 2021
- The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Feelings of Burnout of Older Employees in South Dakota - Aug. 11, 2021
- The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Job Satisfaction of Older Employees in South Dakota - Aug. 9, 2021
The 2021 South Dakota COVID-19 Impact Survey
- Low Trust in Government Linked to Vaccine Hesitancy - May 19, 2021
- Religiosity in South Dakota - May 17, 2021
- South Dakota Remains Mostly Polarized on Evaluation of Major Political Figures - May 12, 2021
- The East River - West River Divide on COVID-19 Attitudes in South Dakota - May 10, 2021
- Religious Leaders Are Most Effective Messengers for Encouraging Continued COVID-19 Mitigation Efforts After Vaccination. - May 6, 2021
- Messaging From Religious Leaders Most Effective at Encouraging South Dakotans to Get Vaccinated - May 4, 2021
- The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Lives of South Dakotans - May 3, 2021
The 2020 South Dakota Election Study
- Presidential Election Had a Negative Impact on Mental Health of South Dakotans - Nov. 25, 2020
- Trump Voters in South Dakota Concerned About Election Fairness - Nov. 24, 2020
- The 2020 Presidential Election in Retrospective - Nov. 24, 2020
- Concerns About Fairness of the Election Loom Large in South Dakota - Oct. 30, 2020
- South Dakotans Divided Along Geographical and Religious Lines - Oct. 29, 2020
- South Dakota Voters Remain Largely Supportive of Governor Kristi Noem - Oct. 28, 2020
- South Dakotans Show Consensus on Trade Agreements and Attitudes about China, but Split on Illegal Immigration - Oct. 27, 2020
- President Trump Sees Softer Support in South Dakota than His Fellow Republicans - Oct. 23, 2020
- South Dakotans Are Critical of State and Federal COVID-19 Response - Oct. 22, 2020
- South Dakotans Are Sharply Divided on COVID-19 Policy and Mitigation Efforts - Oct. 22, 2020
Recent Peer-Reviewed Publications
Viskupič, F., & Wiltse, D. (2024) “Psychological entitlement predicts support for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination.” Journal of Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health 2: 100043.
Viskupič, F., Wiltse, D. & Liebl, Z. (2023) “The rise of anti-vaccination legislature in two Midwestern states: Implications for politics, policy, and society.” Open Health4 (1): 20230020.
Viskupič, F., & Wiltse, D. (2023) “Message framing, partisanship, and popular support for COVID-19 vaccine mandate: Evidence from a preregistered survey experiment.” Open Health 4 (1): 20230013.
Viskupič, F., & Wiltse, D. “Predictors of Older Adults’ Attitudes toward Various COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates.” Forthcoming at: Journal of Aging and Social Policy.
Wiltse, D. & Viskupič, F. (2023) “Age and partisan self-identification predict uptake of additional COVID-19 booster doses: Evidence from a longitudinal study.” Preventive Medicine Reports 36: 102407.
Viskupič, F., & Wiltse, D. (2023) “Attitudes toward annual COVID-19 boosters are highly structured by partisan self-identification and trust in government: Evidence from a longitudinal survey.” Vaccine X14: 100337.
Viskupič, F., & Wiltse, D. (2023) “Partisan self-identification predicts attitudes of nurses toward the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers.” Health Policy and Technology 12 (3): 100777.
Viskupič, F., Wiltse, D., Kayaalp, A. & Sublett, L. (2023) “Older workers’ work attitudes and behaviors during COVID-19 Pandemic: A mediational model.” Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health 38 (3): 254 – 273.
Viskupič, F., Wiltse, D. & Kayaalp, A. (2023) "Attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccine mandate: The role of psychological characteristics and partisan self-identification." Personality and Individual Differences.206, May 2023, 112119.
Viskupič, F., & Wiltse, D. (2023). "Trust in physicians predicts COVID-19 booster uptake among older adults: Evidence from a panel survey." Aging and Health Research.3(1): 100127.
Viskupič, F., & Wiltse, D. "Drivers of COVID-19 booster uptake among nurses." American Journal of Infection Control. Forthcoming.
Viskupič, F., & Wiltse, D. (2023). "COVID-19 Parental Vaccine Hesitancy Among Nurses in the State of South Dakota." Journal of Community Health. 48, 245-251.
Viskupič, F., & Wiltse, D. (2023). "Political Partisanship and Trust in Government Predict Popular Support for COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates for Various Professions and Demographic Groups: A Research Note." American Politics Research. 51(2), 139-146.
Viskupič, F., Wiltse, D. & Badahdah, A. (2022). "Reminders of Existing Vaccine Mandates Increase Support for a COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate: Evidence from a Survey Experiment." Vaccine 40(51): 7483-7487.
Viskupič, F., Celik Wiltse, E., & Wiltse, D. "Pocketbook versus identity? Farmers' attitudes towards international trade." The Social Science Journal.Forthcoming.
Viskupič, F., Wiltse, D., & Meyer, B. "Trust in Physicians and Trust in Government Predict COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake." Social Science Quarterly. Forthcoming.
Viskupič, F., Wiltse, D., & Meyer, B. "Beyond Vaccination: Messaging From Religious Leaders Can Help Increase Adherence to COVID-19 Mitigation Guidelines Following Vaccination. A Research Note. "The Social Science Journal. Forthcoming.
Meyer B., Viskupič F., & Wiltse D. (2022) "Understanding and overcoming COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in South Dakota." South Dakota Medicine. 75(3), 139-140.
Viskupič, F., & Wiltse, D. (2022). "The Messenger Matters: Religious Leaders and Overcoming COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy." PS: Political Science & Politics. 55(3), 504-509.
Meyer, B. A., Viskupič, F., & Wiltse, D. (2022). "Pharmacists to Partner with Religious Leaders to Overcome Vaccine Hesitancy Amongst Christians." Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. 62(1), 302–304.
Wiltse, E. C., Gonda, M., Massmann, C., Williams, K., & Bott-Knutson, R. (2020). "Assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on honors student learning, institutional connections, and intent to return to campus." Journal of the European Honors Council, 4(1), 1-22.
The South Dakota Polling Project utilizes a new and innovative technique of random sampling the electorate that matches the most sophisticated methods of conducting a survey to the most reliable means of citizen contact. This method can be employed at any level in the state: statewide, county, city, legislative district or any other geographical unit that a researcher wishes to cover. Our surveys can be fine-tuned depending upon the needs of the current research project. Respondents complete online surveys, which allows for the development of sophisticated questionnaires. The sample is then carefully weighted on known population parameters such as region, age and other demographics to make it as representative of the population as possible. Simply put, South Dakota Polling Project conducts some of the most comprehensive, sophisticated, detailed and accurate polling of the South Dakota electorate today. In addition to polls of the electorate, we have also conducted more specialized polls of specific groups such as agricultural producers and nurses using different random sampling methods.
Please contact David Wiltse if you have any questions about the poll you want answered, or if you wish to inquire about commissioning poll work on the South Dakota electorate.
