For more than 80 years, one question has remained a cornerstone of public opinion research: "What is the most important problem facing the country?" Political scientist Laron Williams will explore this question and the data behind it on May 7 at 1:30pm ET. Registration is now open for the Roper Roundtable, a semi-annual virtual event hosted by the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at Cornell.
"The Roper Center is thrilled to be hosting Laron Williams for this installment of the Roper Roundtable Series," said Jonathon P. Schuldt, Executive Director, Roper Center for Public Opinion Research and professor of communication and public policy. "Laron's work on the 'Most Important Problem' dataset (MIPD) is an incredible service to public opinion researchers, making it easier than ever to explore the top concerns of the American people across time, topics, and geographies."
Laron Williams, the Frederick A. Middlebush Chair of Political Science at the University of Missouri. Photo provided.
Asked consistently across generations of polls, the Most Important Problem question has served as a barometer for the American public's shifting concerns throughout diverse political contexts. Originally distributed by the Roper Center in 2017, the dataset represented the first attempt to provide comparable data on issue priorities by coding open-ended responses into issue categories. The Roper Center released a second version of the dataset in 2024, offering an opportunity for more detailed analysis to understand the public's policy priorities over time.
Williams, whose research focuses on electoral accountability, public opinion and party competition, led the development of the dataset that includes 850 U.S. surveys comprising of over 1 million MIPD responses. Williams is the Frederick A. Middlebush Chair of Political Science at the University of Missouri's Truman School of Government and Public Affairs.
In the Roper Roundtable, Williams will explore the challenges behind analyzing open-ended responses, key findings from the dataset, and new possibilities for research using this extensive collection of public opinion data. These insights are valuable for students, researchers and practitioners across fields of public opinion, political science, and survey research.
Don't miss this opportunity to engage with one of the leading voices in public opinion scholarship and explore how public priorities have shaped-and been shaped by-the nation's political landscape.
Kelly Merchan is the communications manager for societal systems in Cornell Research and Innovation.
