Research Intern - Public Opinion

To be considered for this role, you must apply directly through our online application. 

Overview

Cato's Project on Public Opinion designs and conducts national surveys on policy attitudes across a broad range of issues — including free speech, Social Security, fiscal policy, financial regulation, health care, criminal justice, and civic knowledge. 

Emily Ekins leads the project and holds a PhD in political science from UCLA, with expertise in survey methodology, political psychology, and statistical analysis. Her surveys are frequently cited in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and NPR, and they support Cato scholars' research, media appearances, and congressional testimony. 

Interns work directly with Ekins throughout the entire research cycle — contributing to survey design, data analysis, report writing, poll tracking, and public-facing communications. The work is intellectually demanding and detail-oriented; it suits applicants with strong quantitative skills, genuine curiosity about public opinion as a research area, and a proven record of academic and professional achievement.

Responsibilities

• Assist with designing nationwide public opinion surveys, including question wording, sequencing, and structure of instruments across policy topics.
• Write concise analytical memos summarizing survey findings for presentations, reports, media appearances, and scholarly use.
• Assist with editing, formatting, and citing survey reports, opinion briefs, op-eds, and blog posts to publication standards.
• Provide research support and fact-checking for research papers, op-eds, and public commentary.
• Assist in managing a daily national survey poll tracker, monitoring and updating results across active surveys.
• Create charts, graphics, and social media content with Infogram and Excel to communicate findings to a broad audience.
• Assist with other research and communication tasks as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Strong interest in and practical knowledge of US public opinion, electoral politics, and polling and survey methods; demonstrated alignment with Cato's principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace.
• Solid quantitative background — coursework in statistics, research methods, or a related field; careful interpretation of data and results with attention to what findings do and do not show.
• Strong editing and fact-checking skills with keen attention to detail; ability to produce clean, accurate written work under deadline.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel for data analysis and creating charts, including clear, source-labeled visuals.
• Academic distinction — this placement requires a demanding methodological skill set, and applicants should be prepared to demonstrate a strong academic record and significant extracurricular or research achievements; applicants are encouraged to highlight awards, honors, or independent research in their application materials.
• Self-starter attitude — ability to recognize what a project requires, take initiative without waiting for instructions, and independently complete assigned work.
• Professionalism, reliability, and attention to detail — survey research demands accuracy in both data handling and written output, along with consistent follow-through on assigned tasks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of survey design, including question phrasing, sampling methods, and weighting techniques.
• Experience with Infogram, Datawrapper, or similar data visualization tools for creating public-facing charts and graphics.
• Coursework or research experience in political science, political psychology, sociology, or a related social science field.
• Proficiency in Stata, R, or Python for statistical analysis.
• Previous research experience showing independent analytical work — through a research assistantship, honors thesis, published analysis, or competitive fellowship.

The Cato Internship Program

Cato’s paid internships are available for undergraduates, recent graduates, graduate students, law students, and early-career professionals who are strongly committed to individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace—principles that together form libertarianism, also known as “classical liberalism,” “market liberalism,” or, to many of our international friends, simply “liberalism.” 

All Cato interns participate in the same intensive seminar series, which covers a wide range of history, philosophy, policy, and professional development topics. Interns also assist with events and occasionally support Cato staff with other daily tasks. 

Interns receive competitive pay. Part-time roles are adjusted accordingly and require a minimum of 25 hours per week. Program participants must be able to attend in person in Washington, DC.

For more information about the internship program and experience, we encourage you to explore our website. If you have any questions, email studentprograms@cato.org.