THE PANDEMIC has put the spotlight on the classroom, with national and statewide test figures showing that students have lost ground in academic subjects. As schools prepare for the new year, a new survey finds Boston Public School parents also have other concerns, including the emotional well-being and physical safety of their children and the […]
Rich Parr
Richard Parr is Research Director with The MassINC Polling Group. Rich contributes a deep familiarity with Massachusetts policies, politics and media, as well as a background in public policy and media.
Since joining MPG in 2013, Rich has taken primary responsibility for data processing and contributes to survey and sample design. He uses his background in policy and media to craft and edit analysis memos and reports attuned to the political context and salient issues. Rich oversaw data visualization and mapping for WBUR’s Poll Vault during the 2014 election cycle, and co-authored and edited several piece for the site.
Prior to joining MPG, Rich was Policy Director at A Better City, a nonprofit representing Boston-area businesses and institutions on transportation, land development and the environment. In that role Rich became a recognized expert on transportation finance and helped organize a statewide coalition which succeeded in elevating transportation to a top legislative priority. He launched and edited ABC’s blog and oversaw its social media presence. Rich continues to work on transportation projects in his spare time and for MassINC, MPG’s parent think-tank. He is a member of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s Legislative Committee and the Boston Bikes Advisory Group, for which MPG has conducted pro-bono analysis.
Before joining ABC, Rich produced web content for the award-winning PBS documentary series FRONTLINE. He has also worked in new media for political campaigns and in media operations for the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. Rich holds a Bachelor’s degree in Literature from Harvard College.
Posted inNews Analysis
Baker shows a Republican can do well in cities
ON HIS WAY to a landslide victory this week, Charlie Baker did something unusual for a Republican these days. He won urban areas, pulling 55 percent in the state’s 20 largest cities and towns, according to unofficial returns from the AP. This is not normal fare for our politics here in Massachusetts, or really anywhere […]
Posted inPolitics
2016 Election live-blog
5:19 PM:Where to find us this evening as results come in. That wraps it up for us here, but the night is just getting started. Steve Koczela will be on WBUR tonight as the races come in, and posting on WBUR.org as key races are called. Got questions? WBUR will be streaming all evening on Facebook […]
Posted inPolitics
Trump needs a debate win. Bigly.
DONALD TRUMP SORELY needs to turn in a strong debate performance this weekend. The last two weeks have brought a near-constant stream of bad news for the Republican candidate: After the first debate, every scientific poll showed Trump lost to Hillary Clinton by a wide margin. Trump made matters worse after the debate by spending […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Baker still Mr. Popularity, but his T is not
CHARLIE BAKER WALKS on water. Earlier this year, National Journal dubbed him “the most popular politician in America,” and he remains close to those lofty heights today. He has a sparkling favorability rating, according to a new poll from The MassINC Polling Group, with 63 percent of Massachusetts voters viewing him favorably, compared to just 10 […]
Posted inPolitics
Polling standards changing rapidly
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION of Public Opinion Research is a rather staid institution. Its annual conference is four days of panel discussions on complex statistical problems in the field. (Sample conference T-shirt slogan: “The Weighting is the Hardest Part.”) Many association members are researchers and statisticians who conduct important government surveys such as the US Census, […]
Posted inOlympics
Olympics numbers don’t add up
BOSTON MAYOR MARTY WALSH and representatives of Boston 2024 have made claims about levels of public support for the idea of a Boston Olympics that are not supported by the numbers. Here are a few: Boston 2024 President Dan O’Connell said on WGBH’s Greater Boston, “I’ve sensed […] overwhelming support for pursuing this effort.” O’Connell […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
State salary numbers don’t tell full story
To read the headlines in the two Boston papers last week would lead one to think that government salaries are spiraling out of control: “More than 1,000 state employees get pay hiked over $100,000,” blared the Herald. The Globe fronted with the raw number: “Nearly 9,000 state workers earned at least $100,000.” The Herald went […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Gomez: No tea for me, thanks.
In the 2010 special US Senate election, enthusiasm from the nascent Tea Party movement helped propel Scott Brown past Martha Coakley. In the 2013 special election, the Tea Party is nowhere to be found, and Gabriel Gomez isn’t exactly turning over rocks looking for it. To be sure, there is a whiff of Tea Party-style […]