
Unfiltered, uncompromising, unexpected—The Focus Group is a look into what the average voter thinks about politics, policy, and current events. Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, has conducted hundreds of hours of focus groups all across the country. She and a series of special guests will take you behind the glass to hear what real focus group participants have to say. www.thebulwa... more
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 144 | Founded | 5 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | PoliticsNewsSociety & Culture | |||

Artificial intelligence is such a big change to human civilization that our political class is struggling to keep up. The voters in our focus groups are struggling, too. The Washington Post's Megan McArdle joins the show to discuss how everyday Ameri... more
A lot of the young people we’ve been talking to recently in our focus groups are relatively apolitical, and many of them don’t vote. But what DO these young people care about? And what could mobilize them in the future? Rachel Janfaza discusses with ... more
The Democratic primary for US Senate in Illinois is a bit quiet, according to our guest. But underneath the surface, one candidate has a VERY interesting way of getting attention...and voters are starting to notice. David Axelrod, former adviser to P... more
Sarah was out last week, and felt she had to bring you some timely focus group reactions to the War in Iran. We also check in on their feelings about the Trump administration (especially their handling of the Epstein Files), and talk about a growing ... more
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Always a worthwhile listen bc I learn something but some raise my blood pressure more than others. Trump voters make me crazy!
Such a great show with thoughtful framing of the concepts being discussed in the focus groups. Sometimes it’s hard to listen to the answers, but it’s important to hear what people are actually saying.
Sarah, I appreciate your research focus on Gen Z. That said, I’m a 29 year old and I don’t feel like a lot of the commentary around Gen Z applies to me, or a lot of my peers. We all had normal high school and college experiences. There’s a large subset of Gen Z that had their high school & college years impacted by Covid. I can’t help but wonder if a global pandemic might’ve interrupted such formative years for young people. They didn’t get the social experiences out of HS/college that most peop... more
I enjoy this podcast, BUT, there are too many dang commercials. I counted 4 ads before I finished listening! Can the ads be placed at the beginning or end of the podcast and not every 7 min or so? I’d hate to stop listening. Thanks
I wish the show had an actual HOST who facilitated a discussion with other political ppl about the data from the groups. it's basically Sarah giving her opinions about the content and i'm just not here for that. unfollowing
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This show provides on-the-ground insights from focus groups to illuminate how everyday voters think about politics, policy, and current events. Episodes consistently tackle voter sentiment on topics like electability, immigration, health care, economic issues, and partisan dynamics, often through conversations with guests who are journalists, pollsters, or policy analysts. A standout feature is the fly-on-the-wall format that foregrounds ordinary voters' perspectives, sometimes sparked by high-profile political moments, and then contextualized by expert hosts and guests. The show's openness to a wide range of viewpoints—paired with detailed qualitative data—offers listeners a nuanced view of how different voter segments reason and talk abou... more
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These podcasts share a similar audience with The Focus Group Podcast:
1. The Next Level
2. The Illegal News with Sarah Longwell
3. Bulwark Takes
4. The Bulwark Podcast
5. The Mona Charen Show
The Focus Group Podcast launched 5 years ago and published 144 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on The Focus Group Podcast include:
1. David Axelrod
2. Ed Elson
3. Elaine Godfrey
4. Eric Benson
5. Margie Omero
6. Bill Kristol
7. Jonathan Chait
8. Robert Draper
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