Six peer-reviewed studies using Verasight survey data were published in recent weeks. They appeared in the American Journal of Public Health, PS: Political Science & Politics, Injury Epidemiology, Weather and Forecasting, Obesity Science & Practice, and Research & Politics, and they cover public health, firearm violence, weather risk communication, elections, and congressional politics.
Cannabis and firearm research from the University of Michigan
Two papers by Brian M. Hicks, Mark A. Ilgen, and colleagues at the University of Michigan draw on surveys fielded by Verasight.
- "Prevalence and Correlates of Symptoms of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome in the United States, 2025" (American Journal of Public Health), by Mark A. Ilgen, Amanda M. Price, Paula Goldman, Blair J. Whittington, and Brian M. Hicks, draws on the National Firearms, Alcohol, Cannabis, and Suicide (NFACS) survey of 7,034 U.S. adults, fielded by Verasight from May to September 2025. Overall, 2.7% of respondents, and 17.8% of respondents who used cannabis daily, reported symptoms consistent with cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS).
- "Lifetime prevalence of self-reported defensive gun use, offensive gun use, and nonfatal firearm victimization among Michigan adults" (Injury Epidemiology), by Brian M. Hicks, pools two Verasight surveys of Michigan adults from 2024 and 2025 (N = 2,489). Lifetime prevalence was 3.7% for offensive gun use, 8.8% for defensive gun use, and 29.7% for nonfatal firearm victimization, and among those reporting any of these experiences, about 80% reported only incidents in which no gun was fired.
How people read very wide snowfall forecasts
In "Snow Much Uncertainty: Public Perceptions of Wide Probabilistic Snowfall Ranges" (Weather and Forecasting), Robert Prestley, Julie L. Demuth, Joseph T. Ripberger, Abby Bitterman, and Makenzie J. Krocak surveyed 965 U.S. adults about a wide (4 to 10 inch) and a very wide (4 to 14 inch) snowfall forecast range. Very wide ranges led to higher and more variable estimates, but respondents may underappreciate the high-end outcomes. People who believe forecasters overforecast snowfall appear to adjust their estimates downward.
"Food noise" among U.S. adults
"Prevalence and Correlates of Perceived Food Noise Among U.S. Adults in a Nationally Representative Sample" (Obesity Science & Practice), by Daisuke Hayashi and Travis D. Masterson, uses data from Verasight's Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) Omnibus Survey (May 2026, N = 1,000). About half of respondents (50.89%) reported experiencing food noise at least occasionally, and 17.98% reported it frequently. Frequent food noise was more common among women (22.70% versus 12.68% of men) and among current and former GLP-1 medication users. Verasight provided the omnibus data to 2026 SBM meeting attendees at no cost; the survey was fielded in May and the article was published in September. More on Verasight's free conference omnibus surveys is here.
What Americans expect in the 2026 midterms
In "Citizen Forecasts and the 2026 US Congressional Midterm Elections: Do Americans Still Expect the Iron Law to Hold?" (PS: Political Science & Politics), Debra Lynn Leiter, Michael S. Lewis-Beck, and Mary Stegmaier asked Americans which party they expect to win each chamber of Congress, using four waves of Verasight omnibus surveys fielded from September 2025 to May 2026. In the May 2026 wave (N = 1,000), 39% expected Democrats to win the most House seats and 35% expected Republicans to, with about a quarter unsure. The authors conclude that a Democratic victory is more likely in the House than in the Senate, and that the race for majority control will not be easily won in either chamber. The questions were collected through Verasight's free omnibus surveys for Midwest Political Science Association and American Political Science Association attendees.
Do voters reward bills that cannot pass?
In "Worth a try? The electoral consequences of symbolic legislation" (Research & Politics), Nicole Huffman, John V. Kane, and David L. Stack study "symbolic legislating," introducing bills that have effectively no chance of becoming law. Their survey experiments show that, assuming a shared party and issue position, sponsoring symbolic legislation is strongly rewarded by voters, and the effect is even stronger among voters most likely to attend to this information. A follow-up experiment fielded via Verasight produced a nearly identical effect. John Kane discussed his research on inflation in a recent Verasight interview.
Add your research
All six are now listed in our academic bibliography, which includes 59 publications that use Verasight data. If you have published with Verasight data, let us know so we can add your work.
The Verasight Team
