Title of Abstract: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Maine’s Political Landscape
Name of Mentor: Michael Franz
Mentor’s Organization or Department: Department of Government and Legal Studies, Bowdoin College
Research Abstract: Over this summer, I worked under the guidance of Professor Michael Franz to analyze Maine’s political landscape through a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. My aim was to understand how different cultural, economic, and social factors influence public opinion on various political issues within the state. I chose to focus on the state’s 2nd Congressional District as it has historically been a swing precinct, and thus provides a more complex mix of political beliefs compared to its consistently Democratic, more urban counterpart. My research involved conducting an original poll of registered voters in the district, followed by analyzing the results of this poll using R Studio. I compared the findings of my quantitative analysis with the external polling data as well as election and ballot measure results to confirm their validity, and further supplemented my analysis with a series of interviews.
Anthony Yanez ’22