Case Study Tools

JFK Case Study

Explore public opinion dynamics from November 1963 through modern analytical methods

Begin Analysis Return Home

Historical Context: November 1963

Key Events Timeline

November 1

South Vietnamese coup against Diem

November 18

JFK's final public speech in Tampa

November 22

Assassination in Dallas

Civil Rights

Civil Rights Act stalled in Congress

Vietnam

16,000 U.S. military advisors deployed

Cold War

Cuban Missile Crisis aftermath

Economy

5.5% unemployment, 4.4% GDP growth

The Original Survey

Louis Harris & Associates surveyed a nationally representative sample of likely voters for Newsweek just before JFK's assassination.

57%

Approval Rating

59%

Would vote for JFK over Goldwater

64%

Favored a personal income tax cut

Survey Topics Covered:

JFK's performance

US/Soviet relations

Space program

Civil rights

Economic policy

Interactive Analysis Tools

Explore the data through different methodological lenses

All-or-Nothing

Test scenarios where all respondents hold the same view

Reporting effects in percentage points

Try it now

Fine-Tuning

Make incremental changes to response distributions

A more nuanced approach

Try it now

Non-Response

Simulate effects of different response rates key outcomes

Critical given low response rates

Try it now

Explore

Investigate relationships in the original dataset

Frequencies, correlations, and crosstabs

Try it now

Build

Create custom models and accompanying simulators

Build your own models, test for hidden biases

Try it now

All tools use the original 1963 Harris/Newsweek dataset

Ready to uncover insights?

Explore how JFK's approval rating and other key outcomes might have changed.

Start Analyzing Learn More