About Mitch Tobin

Mitch Tobin, the editor of WaterPolls.org, is an award-winning author and multimedia journalist. After working as a reporter at the Napa Valley Register, Tucson Citizen, and Arizona Daily Star, Mitch was communications director at California Environmental Associates, where he conducted grantmaking evaluations and policy analysis of water and other issues. In 2014, Mitch started Sea to Snow LLC to provide consulting services to a variety of clients. Mitch graduated from Yale with a bachelor’s degree in Ethics, Politics and Economics and earned a master’s degree in political science from U.C. Berkeley. Follow Mitch on Twitter @mitchtobin

USC-LA Times poll: Californians spread blame for water woes

USC-LA Times poll: Californians spread blame around for water woes A fall 2015 poll by USC and the Los Angeles Times found that 35% of state residents felt the drought was having a “major impact” on their family, while half said it was having a “minor impact." The poll also asked Californians about the roots [...]

By |October 23rd, 2016|American Viewpoint, California, Drought, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research|Comments Off on USC-LA Times poll: Californians spread blame for water woes

Conservation in the West Poll: worries over water, support for efficiency

Conservation in the West Poll: worries over water, support for efficiency The State of the Rockies Project's Conservation in the West Poll provides a detailed portrait of how residents in the intermountain West think about a variety of natural resource issues, including water. This annual poll, conducted since 2011, covers Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New [...]

Pew Research Center: drought tops climate change concerns around globe

Pew poll: drought and water shortages top climate change concerns When the Pew Research Center asked people in 40 countries about their greatest worries related to climate change, drought and water shortages topped the list. The 2015 Pew poll also found high levels of concern over severe weather, such as floods and intense storms. But in all [...]

By |October 15th, 2016|Climate change, Drought, Global, Pew Research Center, Supply|Comments Off on Pew Research Center: drought tops climate change concerns around globe

Insights from the San Diego County Water Authority’s polls

What San Diego residents think about water Although it only covers one part of one state, the San Diego County Water Authority’s polling on water issues is very detailed and has been publicly reported for most years since 2003. The utility’s surveys include questions on cost, quality, drought responses, personal conservation actions, treated effluent, and more. It [...]

By |October 1st, 2016|American West, California, Conservation, Cost, Quality, San Diego County Water Authority, Supply|Comments Off on Insights from the San Diego County Water Authority’s polls

Polling showed strong support for California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

Polling in advance of California's new groundwater law A California groundwater poll released in the midst of severe drought found strong support for better management of the state's aquifers. In July 2014, the Water Foundation hired two pollsters—Public Opinion Strategies and Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates—to analyze public opinion on the issue as part of the [...]

By |September 22nd, 2016|Fairbank Maslin Maullin Metz & Associates, Groundwater, Pollsters, Public Opinion Strategies, Quality, Supply|Comments Off on Polling showed strong support for California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

Circle of Blue global survey reveals widespread concern over water

Circle of Blue survey: water tops list of environmental worries In 2009, a survey of 1,000 people in each of 15 countries found that people around the globe see water as the planet’s biggest environmental problem. Water outranked air pollution, depletion of natural resources, loss of habitat, climate change, and other issues. The Circle of [...]

By |September 15th, 2016|Circle of Blue, Cost, Global, Quality, Supply|Comments Off on Circle of Blue global survey reveals widespread concern over water

Water tops economy in some Public Policy Institute of California polls

Californians troubled by water and drought The Public Policy Institute of California regularly polls state residents and sometimes asks them about water issues. Although some questions have only been asked periodically, the PPIC poll results show persistent high levels of concern over the state’s water supply. California's record drought vaulted water issues to the top of the state’s political agenda [...]

Welcome to WaterPolls: analysis of water public opinion

Analyzing water public opinion What is WaterPolls.org? WaterPolls.org is your source for water public opinion data and analysis. We aggregate, analyze, visualize, and share data on water-related polls to advance public and policymaker understanding of problems and solutions. How to use the site Search for a poll and download resources. You can use the search box [...]

By |September 1st, 2016|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Welcome to WaterPolls: analysis of water public opinion