Pew Research posts methodology for May 2026 American Trends Panel survey

Pew Research Center posted the methodology note for Wave 192 of its American Trends Panel, the center’s nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. The survey wave was conducted April 20 to April 26, 2026. A total of 5,103 panelists completed the survey out of 5,898 sampled.

The methodology page provides an overview of the data collection for the wave and describes the American Trends Panel as Pew’s ongoing national panel for tracking public attitudes. The note situates the wave within Pew’s long-running research program and offers basic response and sampling figures that underpin results published from the survey.

What the methodology page reports

The posted materials make clear that Wave 192 is part of the American Trends Panel and present the headline sample numbers: field dates and the number of respondents and sampled panelists for this wave. The page is framed as a standard methodological disclosure that accompanies Pew’s public polling releases and related analyses.

While the note focuses on the wave’s timing and response totals, it functions as the technical record readers and researchers use to evaluate the strength and limitations of any findings drawn from this wave. Pew’s methodology pages typically accompany broader reports or datasets, allowing third parties to contextualize headline findings with underlying participation metrics.

Why the methodology matters to users

Methodology disclosures like this one are used across the policy, media, and research communities to assess how representative a survey’s findings are and to judge their suitability for research, commentary, or policymaking. The American Trends Panel is an established data source for national public-opinion analysis, and the methodology note provides the basic facts that analysts use when citing or reusing Pew’s results.

Pew Research Center is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and its datasets and methodological disclosures are frequently used by local think tanks, university researchers, policy shops, and newsrooms that operate in the city. The Wave 192 note will be referenced by DC-based analysts who monitor national public opinion for policy briefs, testimony, or reporting.

Look for Pew’s accompanying report or data release that uses Wave 192 as its evidence base; that substantive product will contain the public-opinion findings that draw most attention. Analysts and journalists in Washington typically consult the methodology page alongside any results to gauge sample size and timing before citing the survey.