Polling is facing an existential crisis. People aren't picking up the phone. Nobody wants to talk to pollsters. Trust is on the line. We pluck a solution from the economics canon and convince a polling firm to let us test it.
Today on the show, we head to Marist College — home of the Marist Poll — to learn how to be pollsters ourselves. We learn the great moments in polling history, the latest science of polling, and find out all the tricks that pollsters use to get people to finish their surveys. Then we get on the phone and give it a try ourselves. And offer some of our own solutions.
This episode was originally published before the 2022 midterm elections.
We have an update on our idea to save polling, which Marist is still testing, and we find out what it might be able to tell us about the 2026 midterms.
Music: "Partyline, "The Danzig Connection, and "Saku"
Read:
Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life
Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletter
Our weekly Indicator round-up newsletter
Follow:
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Facebook
This update was produced by Emma Peaslee with help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was mastered by Gilly Moon with help from Cena Loffredo. The original episode was edited by Jess Jiang. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
29:59
Polling is facing an existential crisis. People aren't picking up the phone. Nobody wants to talk to pollsters. Trust is on the line. We pluck a solution from the economics canon and convince a polling firm to let us test it.
Today on the show, we head to Marist College — home of the Marist Poll — to learn how to be pollsters ourselves. We learn the great moments in polling history, the latest science of polling, and find out all the tricks that pollsters use to get people to finish their surveys. Then we get on the phone and give it a try ourselves. And offer some of our own solutions.
This episode was originally published before the 2022 midterm elections.
We have an update on our idea to save polling, which Marist is still testing, and we find out what it might be able to tell us about the 2026 midterms.
Music: "Partyline, "The Danzig Connection, and "Saku"
Read:
Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life
Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletter
Our weekly Indicator round-up newsletter
Follow:
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Facebook
This update was produced by Emma Peaslee with help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was mastered by Gilly Moon with help from Cena Loffredo. The original episode was edited by Jess Jiang. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
The produce aisle is changing. You’ve noticed this, I’m sure. It is now full of superstar fruits and vegetables: The Honeycrisp apple, The Cotton Candy grape, The Cuties mandarin orange. They stand out. They cost more. They have branding and sometimes trademarks and patent-ish kinds of protections.
And now – it’s happening in the tomato bin too! Where once there were just plain old cherry or grape tomatoes, now there are Sugar Bombs, and Flavor Bombs, and Lolli Bombs and Sprinkles.
Today, we are partnering up with Dan Pashman – host of The Sporkful food podcast – and heading to New Jersey where we hope to taste an up-and-coming competitor: Rutgers University's Scarlet Sunrise grape tomato. We talk to the inventors to understand why this explosion in branded fruits and veggies has happened and how you go about making a new piece of produce.
Plus, we talk to Cornell agricultural economist Miguel Gomez about whether or not the fruits and veggies spread in our produce aisle are, perhaps, reaching the point of market saturation.
Read:
Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life
Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletter
Our weekly Indicator round-up newsletter
Follow:
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Facebook
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
This episode was hosted by Kenny Malone and Dan Pashman. It was produced by James Sneed and edited by Keith Romer. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Cena Loffredo & Jimmy Keeley. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
Correction, Aug. 31, 2026: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that the University of Washington developed the Cosmic Crisp apple. It was Washington State University.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
33:43
The produce aisle is changing. You’ve noticed this, I’m sure. It is now full of superstar fruits and vegetables: The Honeycrisp apple, The Cotton Candy grape, The Cuties mandarin orange. They stand out. They cost more. They have branding and sometimes trademarks and patent-ish kinds of protections.
And now – it’s happening in the tomato bin too! Where once there were just plain old cherry or grape tomatoes, now there are Sugar Bombs, and Flavor Bombs, and Lolli Bombs and Sprinkles.
Today, we are partnering up with Dan Pashman – host of The Sporkful food podcast – and heading to New Jersey where we hope to taste an up-and-coming competitor: Rutgers University's Scarlet Sunrise grape tomato. We talk to the inventors to understand why this explosion in branded fruits and veggies has happened and how you go about making a new piece of produce.
Plus, we talk to Cornell agricultural economist Miguel Gomez about whether or not the fruits and veggies spread in our produce aisle are, perhaps, reaching the point of market saturation.
Read:
Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life
Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletter
Our weekly Indicator round-up newsletter
Follow:
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Facebook
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
This episode was hosted by Kenny Malone and Dan Pashman. It was produced by James Sneed and edited by Keith Romer. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Cena Loffredo & Jimmy Keeley. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
Correction, Aug. 31, 2026: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that the University of Washington developed the Cosmic Crisp apple. It was Washington State University.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
When workers past retirement age can’t afford to retire — that’s one thing. When they can, and just don’t want to — that’s trickier.
It used to be legal to force people to retire when they hit a certain age. The trend used to be earlier and earlier retirement. Now it’s later and later retirement. And younger workers say it’s impacting their career advancement and their ability to save for their own retirement.
At the same time, older workers are living longer, Social Security and Medicare funding are less secure than ever … and many people want to keep working.
Age in the workplace is a tricky thing to talk about. But today on the show, we’re talking about it. On the latest Planet Money, a law professor who says retirement should be mandatory at age 70. And an economist who says, actually … people should delay retirement even longer.
Show notes:
More of Planet Money’s coverage of the lump of labor fallacy
Samuel Moyn: Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth? And What to Do About It.
Gerhard Casper and Saunders Mac Lane: “Older Doesn’t Mean Wiser”
Read:
Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life
Our weekly long-form Planet Money newsletter
Our weekly Indicator round-up newsletter
Follow:
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Facebook
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
This episode was reported by Sarah Gonzalez. It was produced by Willa Rubin, edited by Eric Misitzis Mennel, and fact-checked by Charlotte Isidore. It was engineered by Robert Rodriguez and Jimmy Keeley. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.
Music: NPR Source Audio: “Don’t Cross The Line,” “Aventure Burlesque,” and “Hollywood.”
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
34:03
When workers past retirement age can’t afford to retire — that’s one thing. When they can, and just don’t want to — that’s trickier.
It used to be legal to force people to retire when they hit a certain age. The trend used to be earlier and earlier retirement. Now it’s later and later retirement. And younger workers say it’s impacting their career advancement and their ability to save for their own retirement.
At the same time, older workers are living longer, Social Security and Medicare funding are less secure than ever … and many people want to keep working.
Age in the workplace is a tricky thing to talk about. But today on the show, we’re talking about it. On the latest Planet Money, a law professor who says retirement should be mandatory at age 70. And an economist who says, actually … people should delay retirement even longer.
Show notes:
More of Planet Money’s coverage of the lump of labor fallacy
Samuel Moyn: Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth? And What to Do About It.
Gerhard Casper and Saunders Mac Lane: “Older Doesn’t Mean Wiser”
Read:
Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life
Our weekly long-form Planet Money newsletter
Our weekly Indicator round-up newsletter
Follow:
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Facebook
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
This episode was reported by Sarah Gonzalez. It was produced by Willa Rubin, edited by Eric Misitzis Mennel, and fact-checked by Charlotte Isidore. It was engineered by Robert Rodriguez and Jimmy Keeley. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.
Music: NPR Source Audio: “Don’t Cross The Line,” “Aventure Burlesque,” and “Hollywood.”
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
