Cross Tabs

Faris Yakob, co-founder of Genius Steals and a noted brand strategist, delves into the complexities of modern economics. He reveals how misleading averages mask the true consumer experience, emphasizing that just 10% of households drive half of America’s spending. The discussion highlights rising wealth disparities, the impact of international tariffs, and the emotional motivations behind consumer behavior. Yakob also critiques the stock market's influence on perceptions of economic health, shedding light on why many Americans feel financially strained despite positive macro indicators.

Educational attainment has become the new fault line in American politics, creating unexpected coalitions that cross racial boundaries. Research reveals a surprising shift of working-class voters across all demographics toward populist candidates who promise to fight for their interests rather than cater to college-educated elites.Political researcher Patrick Ruffini, co-founder of Echelon Insights and author of Party of the People, discusses these findings in this conversation with Farrah. Ruffini explains how the Democratic coalition has fractured along educational rather than economic lines, with cultural values becoming increasingly decisive in voting behavior. This analysis shows the disconnect between political elites and mainstream voters, highlighting an underlying optimism among immigrant and working-class communities that starkly contrasts with the pessimism often expressed by college-educated whites.Want to be a part of the future of Cross Tabs Podcast? Here are a few simple ways to get involved:   - Subscribe, rate, and review Cross Tabs Podcast on your favorite podcast app   - Subscribe to Cross Tabs Podcast Substack and suggest Cross Tabs to your audience if you have your own Substack - we’re happy to do the same!   - Contact Farrah with guest or topic suggestions you’d like to hear about on the show   Resources ‘Party of the People: Inside the Multiracial Populist Coalition Remaking the GOP’Echelon Insights   The Intersection  Growth and Opportunity Project Report  David Shor's Diploma Divide Hypothesis  Political Inequality in Affluent Democracies: The Social Welfare Deficit   What if the US Were a Multi-Party Democracy?   Our Guest Patrick Ruffini is a founding partner at Echelon Insights, one of the most widely recognized public opinion and strategic research firms in the United States. Patrick is the author of ‘Party of the People: Inside the Multiracial Populist Coalition Remaking the GOP,’ called “the book that predicted the 2024 election” by The New York Times and ranked as a Best Book in Politics by the Wall Street Journal.  An expert in political realignment and demographic trends, Patrick is a prolific speaker, writer, and political commentator. He has offered on-air analysis, including on election nights, for CNBC, Fox News, the BBC, and NPR and written for The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Time, The Atlantic, and Politico, among others. Patrick has led hundreds of strategic communications, survey, data analytics, and focus group projects for Fortune 500 companies, leading foundations and advocacy groups, and political campaigns nationally and internationally. Since Patrick co-founded Echelon Insights in 2014, the firm has been known for its innovative approach and accurate track record. It was ranked one of the three most accurate private polling firms in the country by 538 and is one of the most-awarded polling and data firms in the country by the American Association of Political Consultants and Campaigns & Elections. Before starting Echelon Insights, Patrick led one of the country’s premier digital strategy and communications firms, Engage, and served in senior roles at the Republican National Committee and for President George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign. Patrick is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and lives with his family in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. Your Host Farrah Bostic is the founder of The Difference Engine, a strategic research and innovation consultancy. Drawing on her extensive background in research and strategy, she examines how power dynamics and data patterns shape both democratic institutions and market environments, bringing a sharp analytical perspective to the intersection of politics, data, and business. Her incisive questioning style and ability to connect political movements with business implications makes Cross Tabs essential listening for political analysts, business leaders, and engaged citizens seeking to understand the forces shaping our political and economic landscapes. Learn more about Farrah’s experience helping B2B and B2C companies across various industries turn audience insights into effective strategies at thedifferenceengine.co, and be sure to connect with her on LinkedIn if you’d like to discuss how The Difference Engine can help your business grow with authentic customer insights.  Subscribe to Cross Tabs Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to Cross Tabs on your favorite podcast platform: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Government efficiency is often misunderstood, with dangerous consequences when technology leaders wield power without understanding civic infrastructure. Today’s conversation explores what resilience means in technology and governance, examining how Silicon Valley's "move fast and break things" approach threatens critical systems that serve vulnerable populations. In this episode of Cross Tabs, host Farrah Bostic and Dan Hon discuss the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk and how tech executives' worldview impacts public services. They examine how technology is inherently political, contrasting the "efficiency" valued by tech companies with government effectiveness, while considering how communities might respond to administrative breakdown in vital social programs. Want to be a part of the future of Cross Tabs Podcast? Here are a few simple ways to get involved:   - Subscribe, rate, and review Cross Tabs Podcast on your favorite podcast app   - Subscribe to Cross Tabs Podcast Substack and suggest Cross Tabs to your audience if you have your own Substack - we’re happy to do the same!   - Contact Farrah with guest or topic suggestions you’d like to hear about on the show   Resources “Things That Caught My Attention” by Dan Hon ‘Snow Crash’ by Neal Stephenson  ‘Lexicon’ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16158596-lexicon by Max Barry ‘Jennifer Government’  by Max Barry "The Nation's Data at Risk" by the American Statistical Association  “Imaginary Friends” by Jeffrey Goldberg, The New Yorker Blue Ant Series by William Gibson series  Musk Watch Judd Legum Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)  DOGE Live Tracker  Our Guest Dan Hon is a technologist and civic technology expert with extensive experience at the intersection of government and digital services, previously serving as the Editorial Director of Code for America. Hon has worked in both the public and private sectors, including at advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy, where he developed innovative interactive experiences. He's known for his insightful commentary on digital government, government efficiency, and the ethical implications of technology in civic spaces. He currently writes the “Things That Caught My Attention” newsletter and is a respected voice on how technology impacts government services and citizen experiences. His strategic consultancy is Very Little Gravitas. Your Host Farrah Bostic is the founder of The Difference Engine, a strategic research and innovation consultancy. Drawing on her extensive background in research and strategy, she examines how power dynamics and data patterns shape both democratic institutions and market environments, bringing a sharp analytical perspective to the intersection of politics, data, and business. Her incisive questioning style and ability to connect political movements with business implications makes Cross Tabs essential listening for political analysts, business leaders, and engaged citizens seeking to understand the forces shaping our political and economic landscapes. Learn more about Farrah’s experience helping B2B and B2C companies across various industries turn audience insights into effective strategies at thedifferenceengine.co, and be sure to connect with her on LinkedIn if you’d like to discuss how The Difference Engine can help your business grow with authentic customer insights.  Subscribe to Cross Tabs Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to Cross Tabs on your favorite podcast platform: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Polling reveals most Americans support abortion access in almost every circumstance, even when they identify as "pro-life." Looking beneath surface-level survey questions shows that when people are asked about specific situations rather than abstract labels, 80% believe abortion should be legal, and even self-described pro-life voters support legal abortion in most medical circumstances or cases of criminal acts. In this enlightening conversation with Lauren Goldstein from Change Research, Farrah takes aim at how political polling often misses the deeper values that drive voter opinion. Their discussion reveals how understanding "symbolic politics" — the emotional frameworks and values that shape political identity — can transform political communication and uncover surprising consensus on seemingly divisive issues. Want to be a part of the future of Cross Tabs Podcast? Here are a few simple ways to get involved:   Subscribe, rate, and review Cross Tabs Podcast on your favorite podcast app   Subscribe to Cross Tabs Podcast Substack and suggest Cross Tabs to your audience if you have your own Substack - we’re happy to do the same!   Contact Farrah with guest or topic suggestions you’d like to hear about on the show  Resources Lauren's essay on her substack, Mind the Gap: ‘Actually, Abortion Isn’t Polarizing’  Change Research  ‘Where Do Americans Stand on Abortion?’   The American Voter  Symbolic politics theory research   Our Guest Lauren Goldstein is the lead advocacy pollster for Change Research and holds a PhD from UCLA with ten years of experience as a public opinion researcher and social scientist. She has done extensive research and polling on issues related to racial justice (and injustice), criminal legal reform and police divestment, immigration, and reproductive rights. Your Host Farrah Bostic is the founder of The Difference Engine, a strategic research and innovation consultancy. Drawing on her extensive background in research and strategy, she examines how power dynamics and data patterns shape both democratic institutions and market environments, bringing a sharp analytical perspective to the intersection of politics, data, and business. Her incisive questioning style and ability to connect political movements with business implications makes Cross Tabs essential listening for political analysts, business leaders, and engaged citizens seeking to understand the forces shaping our political and economic landscapes. Learn more about Farrah’s experience helping B2B and B2C companies across various industries turn audience insights into effective strategies at thedifferenceengine.co, and be sure to connect with her on LinkedIn if you’d like to discuss how The Difference Engine can help your business grow with authentic customer insights.  Subscribe to Cross Tabs Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to Cross Tabs on your favorite podcast platform: Apple Podcasts Spotify 

The invisible rulers of the internet are no longer just PR consultants and advertisers, but algorithms and influencers who shape our bespoke realities through immersive persuasion. Social media platforms have transformed from places to connect with friends to ecosystems where propaganda thrives, creating fragmented information environments that leave users swimming in increasingly polarized content. In this episode of Cross Tabs, Farrah Bostic speaks with Renee DiResta, a leading researcher on misinformation who traces her journey from concerned parent to disinformation expert. DiResta unpacks how platforms' business models prioritize engagement over truth, explains why political messaging strategies differ dramatically between left and right, and offers practical recommendations for resetting online norms beyond simple calls for media literacy. Want to be a part of the future of Cross Tabs Podcast? Here are a few simple ways to get involved:   Subscribe, rate, and review Cross Tabs Podcast on your favorite podcast app   Subscribe to Cross Tabs Podcast Substack and suggest Cross Tabs to your audience if you have your own Substack - we’re happy to do the same!   Contact Farrah with guest or topic suggestions you’d like to hear about on the show   Resources 'Propaganda'  'The Invisible Rulers'  'Shrimp, slop, spam: what counts as creativity?'  'Instagram 'Error' Turned Reels Into Neverending Scroll of Murder, Gore, and Violence'  'Influence and Improvisation: Participatory Disinformation during the 2020 US Election' The Lawfare Podcast "Lawfare Daily: A World Without Cesars"   Our Guest Renée DiResta is an Associate Research Professor at Georgetown's McCourt School who studies how information spreads and distorts online. Her research examines the ecosystem of influence operations, from viral misinformation to coordinated propaganda campaigns. DiResta investigates the interplay between algorithms, influencers, and human behavior that shapes our online information environment. She has advised Congress, the State Department, and global leaders on countering digital manipulation and is the author of ‘The Invisible Rulers,’ which explores propaganda in the digital age. Your Host Farrah Bostic is the founder of The Difference Engine, a strategic research and innovation consultancy. Drawing on her extensive background in research and strategy, she examines how power dynamics and data patterns shape both democratic institutions and market environments, bringing a sharp analytical perspective to the intersection of politics, data, and business. Her incisive questioning style and ability to connect political movements with business implications makes Cross Tabs essential listening for political analysts, business leaders, and engaged citizens seeking to understand the forces shaping our political and economic landscapes. Learn more about Farrah’s experience helping B2B and B2C companies across various industries turn audience insights into effective strategies at thedifferenceengine.co, and be sure to connect with her on LinkedIn if you’d like to discuss how The Difference Engine can help.  Subscribe to Cross Tabs Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to Cross Tabs on your favorite podcast platform: Apple Podcasts Spotify 

Religious nationalism manifests differently across the globe, with some surprising patterns emerging from cross-national research. The concept extends beyond legal frameworks into cultural values, with the US standing out among high-income countries for believing the Bible should influence laws, even though only 6% of Americans qualify as religious nationalists. In this episode of Cross Tabs, Farrah speaks with Pew Research Center experts Jonathan Evans and Laura Silver about their groundbreaking study on religious nationalism across 36 countries. They discuss their methodological approach to studying such a complex topic across different religions and cultures, the nuances of what it means to be a "religious state" while maintaining democracy, and the stark political polarization in America compared to other nations. Want to be a part of the future of Cross Tabs Podcast? Here are a few simple ways to get involved:   - Subscribe, rate, and review Cross Tabs Podcast on your favorite podcast app   - Subscribe to Cross Tabs Podcast Substack and suggest Cross Tabs to your audience if you have your own Substack - we’re happy to do the same!   - Contact Farrah with guest or topic suggestions you’d like to hear about on the show  Resources Religious Nationalism Report  India Religious Study  Christian Nationalism in the US  Western Europe Religious Study  American Views on China  Our Guests Jonathan Evans is a Senior Researcher on the Religion team at Pew Research Center, approaching nine years with the organization. His work focuses primarily on international religious research, including leading a major project involving 30,000 interviews in India examining the intersection of religion with public life. Evans specializes in studying how religious beliefs, practices, and identities intersect with other aspects of people's lives across different cultural contexts. Laura Silver is an Associate Director on the Global Attitudes team at Pew Research Center with eight years of experience conducting cross-national surveys. She specializes in studying global phenomena in comparative contexts and has extensive expertise in American views of China. Silver oversees large cross-national surveys spanning dozens of countries, helping to provide context for how different global phenomena impact countries in varying ways. Your Host Farrah Bostic is the founder of The Difference Engine, a strategic research and innovation consultancy. Drawing on her extensive background in research and strategy, she examines how power dynamics and data patterns shape both democratic institutions and market environments, bringing a sharp analytical perspective to the intersection of politics, data, and business. Her incisive questioning style and ability to connect political movements with business implications makes Cross Tabs essential listening for political analysts, business leaders, and engaged citizens seeking to understand the forces shaping our political and economic landscapes. Learn more about Farrah’s experience helping B2B and B2C companies across various industries turn audience insights into effective strategies at thedifferenceengine.co, and be sure to connect with her on LinkedIn if you’d like to discuss how The Difference Engine can help.  Subscribe to Cross Tabs Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to Cross Tabs on your favorite podcast platform: Apple Podcasts Spotify 

The Democratic Party brand has hit historic lows despite Republican extremism, with nearly half of Democratic voters disapproving of their own party representatives in Congress. This crisis in party confidence reflects a failure in messaging strategy, with Democrats needing to centralize their communication and directly attribute economic hardship to Republican policies rather than using vague institutional language. In this episode of Cross Tabs, Farrah Bostic speaks with political strategist Rachel Bitecofer about Democratic Party messaging failures and what effective opposition looks like in 2025. Bitecofer emphasizes that Democrats must stop being selective about which battles to fight and instead mount consistent, visible resistance that frames Republicans as extremists who have harmed working Americans through decades of economic policies. Want to be a part of the future of Cross Tabs Podcast? Here are a few simple ways to get involved:  - Subscribe, rate, and review Cross Tabs Podcast on your favorite podcast app  - Subscribe to Cross Tabs Podcast Substack and suggest Cross Tabs to your audience if you have your own Substack - we’re happy to do the same!  - Contact Farrah with guest or topic suggestions you’d like to hear about on the show  Resources ‘Hit ‘em Where It Hurts’  The Cycle (Substack)‘Politics and the English Language’  ‘The American Voter’   ‘Testing to Destruction’   "What Is Power For?"   "Partisanship in the Trump Era"  Quinnipac PollOur Guest Rachel Bitecofer is an American political scientist and election forecaster turned political strategist, renowned for her accurate early prediction of the "Blue Wave" in the 2018 midterm elections. Bitecofer has served as a lecturer at Christopher Newport University and as assistant director of the Wason Center for Public Policy, where she conducted polling and election forecasting. She later became a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center, a centrist think tank in Washington, D.C. Her analyses have been featured in prominent media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and MSNBC. In 2024, she published "Hit 'Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game," advocating for strategic approaches to bolster democratic processes. Your Host Farrah Bostic is the founder of The Difference Engine, a strategic research and innovation consultancy. Drawing on her extensive background in research and strategy, she examines how power dynamics and data patterns shape both democratic institutions and market environments, bringing a sharp analytical perspective to the intersection of politics, data, and business. Her incisive questioning style and ability to connect political movements with business implications makes Cross Tabs essential listening for political analysts, business leaders, and engaged citizens seeking to understand the forces shaping our political and economic landscapes. Learn more about Farrah’s experience helping B2B and B2C companies across various industries turn audience insights into effective strategies at thedifferenceengine.co, and be sure to connect with her on LinkedIn if you’d like to discuss how The Difference Engine can help.  Subscribe to Cross Tabs Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to Cross Tabs on your favorite podcast platform: Apple Podcasts Spotify 

True democratic power requires collective organization, not just voting. The current political system serves the wealthy while unions remain the only reliable institution giving ordinary Americans access to collective political power — something authoritarians immediately target when taking office. In this episode of Cross Tabs, host Farrah Bostic speaks with political strategist Mike Podhorzer about what real democracy looks like beyond elections. They discuss how labor unions provide essential counterbalance to corporate power, why judicial supremacy has undermined democratic governance, and how precise language matters when describing political realities. Podhorzer explains that collective power through organizing is the only viable path to resist authoritarianism and restore responsive governance. Want to be a part of the future of Cross Tabs? Here are a few simple ways to get involved:  Subscribe, rate, and review Cross Tabs Podcast on your favorite podcast app  Subscribe to Cross Tabs Podcast Substack and suggest Cross Tabs to your audience if you have your own Substack - we’re happy to do the same!  Contact Farrah with guest or topic suggestions you’d like to hear about on the show  Resources Weekend Reading newsletter by Mike Podhorzer "The Oligarchs Understand Power, Do We?" by Mike Podhorzer, Weekend Reading "Trump Voters Splinter Over His Rapid Shake-Up of Washington" by Eliza Collins, Wall Street Journal Presidential Records Act   Our Guest Mike Podhorzer is a leading political strategist and data analyst with extensive experience in labor organizing and electoral politics. He served as the Political Director of the AFL-CIO for over a decade, where he developed innovative approaches to voter mobilization and progressive coalition-building. Podhorzer is known for his insightful analysis of political power structures and his advocacy for strengthening democratic institutions through organized labor. He now writes the ‘Weekend Reading’ newsletter, where he examines the relationships between collective power, democracy, and economic justice. His work focuses on how ordinary Americans can build meaningful political influence to counter the outsized power of wealthy interests in our political system.  Your Host Farrah Bostic is the founder of The Difference Engine, a strategic research and innovation consultancy. Drawing on her extensive background in research and strategy, she examines how power dynamics and data patterns shape both democratic institutions and market environments, bringing a sharp analytical perspective to the intersection of politics, data, and business. Her incisive questioning style and ability to connect political movements with business implications makes Cross Tabs essential listening for political analysts, business leaders, and engaged citizens seeking to understand the forces shaping our political and economic landscapes. Learn more about Farrah’s experience helping B2B and B2C companies across various industries turn audience insights into effective strategies at thedifferenceengine.co, and be sure to connect with her on LinkedIn if you’d like to discuss how The Difference Engine can help. Subscribe to Cross Tabs Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to Cross Tabs on your favorite podcast platform: Apple Podcasts Spotify 

Understanding political contradictions - from voters supporting seemingly opposing candidates to holding conflicting policy views - reveals deeper truths about American democracy and the complex systems that shape public opinion. Modern polling methods, rooted in both the study of fascism and eugenics, illuminate how we make sense of each other as voters and consumers. In this episode of Cross Tabs, host Farrah Bostic unveils five key areas the show will tackle this season: deep dives into local political transformations, the historical evolution of polling and surveys, the shift of campaign messaging from Madison Avenue to K Street, lessons from history about how other countries built democracies after surviving and overcoming authoritarianism, and a look forward into what kinds of democracies can be built when we're not steeped in Constitutional nostalgia. Drawing on her background in political science, law, and market research, Farrah aims to help listeners understand the systems that drive political change and imagine new possibilities for democracy's future. Want to be a part of the future of Cross Tabs Podcast? Here are a few simple ways to get involved: - Subscribe, rate, and review Cross Tabs Podcast on your favorite podcast app - Subscribe to Cross Tabs Podcast Substack and suggest Cross Tabs to your audience if you have your own Substack - we’re happy to do the same! - Contact Farrah with guest or topic suggestions you’d like to hear about on the show Resources ‘On Freedom’ by Timothy Snyder ‘How Rights Went Wrong’ by Jamal Greene  ‘Just Evil Enough’ by Emily Ross and Alistair Croll  Behind the Bastards podcast hosted by Robert Evans Your Host Farrah Bostic is the founder and Head of Research & Strategy at The Difference Engine, a strategic insights consultancy. With over 20 years of experience turning audience insights into effective strategies for B2B and B2C companies, Farrah helps business leaders make big decisions across various industries. Learn more at thedifferenceengine.co and connect with Farrah on LinkedIn.  Subscribe to Cross Tabs Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to Cross Tabs on your favorite podcast platform: Apple Podcasts Spotify 

Less than a month into the new administration, we have seen a flurry of headlines about datasets being purged all over the federal government — and in programs outside the federal government that receive money from federal agencies.Here are just a few recent stories:"What we all lose in Trump and Musk's attack on government data" (Axios, February 7, 2025)"Thousands of U.S. Government Web Pages Have Been Taken Down Since Friday" (NY Times, February 2, 2025)"Archivists Work to Identify and Save the Thousands of Datasets Disappearing From Data.gov" (404 Media, January 30, 2025)"CDC Data Are Disappearing" (The Atlantic, January 31, 2025)This episode is an encore presentation of a conversation I had last summer with Connie Citro, an investigator on the American Statistical Association's paper, "The Nation's Data at Risk". We discussed the need for government-collected data, the threats facing (and now in full view of) the nation's statistical agencies, and ways you can support the agencies in their work.Here are a few resources if you want to gain access to archived data, or want to support organizations that are acting to defend the agencies and preserve their — our — data.The American Statistical AssociationThe Data Rescue ProjectThe Census ProjectFriends of the Bureau of Labor StatisticsThe CDC Foundation Our Guest Connie Citro is a distinguished expert in federal statistics with over four decades of experience in the field. She served for many years as the director of the Committee on National Statistics at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, where she now continues as a senior scholar. Throughout her career, Citro has been involved in numerous studies on critical statistical issues, including decennial census methodologies, poverty measurement, and the American Community Survey. Her extensive knowledge and experience make her a leading voice in discussions about the health and future of the U.S. federal statistical system.   Your Host Farrah Bostic is the founder and Head of Research & Strategy at The Difference Engine, a strategic insights consultancy. With over 20 years of experience turning audience insights into effective strategies for B2B and B2C companies, Farrah helps business leaders make big decisions across various industries. Learn more at thedifferenceengine.co and connect with Farrah on LinkedIn.  Subscribe to Cross Tabs Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to Cross Tabs on your favorite podcast platform: Apple Podcasts Spotify