JFK Case Study
Explore public opinion dynamics from November 1963 through modern analytical methods
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.
Survey Topics Covered:
Interactive Analysis Tools
Explore the data through different methodological lenses
All-or-Nothing
Simulate extreme scenarios—what happens if every respondent shares the same opinion?
Fine-Tuning
Adjust distributions incrementally to see how small shifts in opinion affect outcomes.
Non-Response
Simulate how varying response rates might bias key outcome estimates.
Explore
Analyze relationships in the raw dataset—frequencies, correlations, and crosstabs.
Build
Construct your own models and simulators—test hypotheses and explore hidden bias.
Ready to uncover insights?
Explore how JFK's approval rating and other key outcomes might have changed.