Murmuration: What were you doing before working at Murmuration?

Drew Linzer: In 2013, I co-founded the opinion research firm Civiqs (which is getting folded into Community Voices). We did a combination of traditional survey work and long-term daily tracking on questions of general social interest. I was the Director, leading research projects and guiding survey methodology and technology. Prior to Civiqs, I was a Professor of Political Science at Emory University.

I think survey research is indispensable for giving people a way to express themselves, and it's meaningful to hear from Americans what they're thinking and experiencing in daily life.

Murmuration: Was there a formative experience that brought you to this work?

DL: I've always worked in and around politics. My first job after college was as a field organizer in a local congressional race. Knocking doors and talking to voters, I was interested in the patterns and trends in the views people would share. I made the jump into polling and consulting, and then earned a PhD in Political Science, studying public opinion and statistics. I think survey research is indispensable for giving people a way to express themselves, and it's meaningful to hear from Americans what they're thinking and experiencing in daily life.

Murmuration: What drew you to working at Murmuration?

DL: A core part of Murmuration's mission is to generate data and information that empower partner organizations to engage with and make lasting change in their communities. When we work with research partners, it is a mutual process of drafting survey questions, analyzing the responses, and putting the data to use. We help partners better understand the people and places that they serve, and Murmuration distributes what we learn throughout our broader partner network and to the public—multiplying the reach and impact of any single organization or project. For example, in partnership with the Iowa Food Bank Association, we examined food access and food insecurity in Iowa, neighboring states, and across the nation. The findings informed local advocacy and contributed to a broader public conversation about hunger in America through our Hunger in Plain Sight report.

Murmuration: Walk me through a day in the life of your role at Murmuration.

DL: As Vice President of Research, I manage the Insights team in the Research and Data division. I move between working with partners on survey projects, reporting on our latest results, and overseeing the development of research tools that bring Murmuration's insights to life, turning data and analysis into actionable information for the field. One of these key tools is Murmuration’s large online survey panel, Community Voices. Our team also leads Civic Pulse, a nationwide survey initiative that provides a real-time window into the experiences, concerns, and aspirations of Americans. Through the Murmuration Substack, we distribute original research that helps organizers, funders, researchers, journalists, and community leaders better understand the forces shaping civic life across the country.

Murmuration: You co-founded Civiqs, whose survey assets evolved into what is now Community Voices at Murmuration. What excites you most about bringing that work into this new chapter?

DL: That's right! The Civiqs research platform, including its survey panel, was brought into Murmuration in 2026. Community Voices builds on over 10 years of research into conducting online opinion surveys. We are massively increasing the reach of the survey panel to bring in new participants and expand the scope and scale of our research programs. We're also building new technology into Community Voices to bring findings to a wider network of partners and organizations.

A core part of Murmuration's mission is to generate data and information that empower partner organizations to engage with and make lasting change in their communities.

Murmuration: Community Voices uses a longitudinal, contactable survey panel. What are the biggest benefits of that methodology compared with traditional polling approaches?

DL: The biggest benefit of a contactable survey panel is that it makes high-quality, large-scale research sustainable over a long period of time. People who take surveys want to be able to express what they are thinking and feeling, and for that to matter. In a traditional poll, a researcher will hear from one person one time, and that’s it. With a panel, people get to engage on a much broader variety of topics and can participate whenever they’re selected. We use modern survey technology to pool responses from the panel into measures of public opinion that evolve over time and provide accurate insights even in small populations.

Murmuration: How does Murmuration’s research and survey work help partners better understand communities and make more informed decisions?

DL: There are a variety of unique benefits of Murmuration's research tools for partners. Some organizations partner with us directly to design and execute a collaborative research project. The results give partners a more complete understanding of their communities' needs and priorities, which they can use to streamline their efforts and identify new opportunities for impact. Other Murmuration partners benefit from our research through Atlas and Organizer. The information we gather in Civic Pulse and Community Voices surveys is used by Murmuration data scientists to generate model-based scores and classifications, which provide up-to-date, granular data to improve partners’ outreach efforts.

Drew Linzer volunteering with Murmuration staff at Denver Urban Gardens.

Murmuration: What is your advice to others who want to work in a similar field or industry?

DL: My advice to aspiring survey researchers is to approach the work with a combination of rigor and humility. Rigor to follow strong methodological principles, pay detailed attention to data quality, and report results that you can stand behind. There's also an aspect of humility in recognizing that accurately measuring what people think requires constantly checking our assumptions and updating our approaches. Survey research is inherently probabilistic; people are complex, and populations change.