The Backstory: Behind the North Dakota Poll
How do you find out what North Dakotans think without steering their answers? On this episode of The Backstory, Mary Jo Hotzler takes us behind the North Dakota Poll and shares what catches her attention in the latest responses on data centers and artificial intelligence.
Before the North Dakota Poll produces a single result, weeks of work go into deciding what to ask and how to ask it. The wording needs to be clear, the questions need to avoid steering people toward an answer, and the participants need to reflect the state.
On this week’s The Backstory, Mary Jo Hotzler joins Sabrina Halvorson to explain that process.
Listen here:
Hotzler, a North Dakota News Cooperative board member, helps lead the cooperative’s polling work. She discusses how NDNC works with Mason-Dixon to develop the questions and why gathering North Dakotans’ views is valuable for reporters, residents, and lawmakers.
“We truly want to know what people think. That’s what’s going to drive the good reporting.” — Mary Jo Hotzler
The latest poll explores data centers and artificial intelligence, including concerns about resources, household costs, and government oversight. Hotzler shares what catches her attention in the responses, including concerns about AI’s future and how opinions differ across generations and regions.
NDNC’s five-part reporting series examines the latest poll’s findings in greater detail. Here is the first installment:
Michael Standaert
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