About Montana Insights
As part of Montana Free Press’ mission to provide data-driven news and information, we’ve launched an initiative designed to identify Montana citizens’ views on a variety of topics and report on the issues they tell us are most important to the people of our state.
Montana Insights centers on a public interest study commissioned by Montana Free Press and conducted by Rutgers University’s Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling.
Montana Insights – in the news
75% of voters want Montana to have at least as much federal land as it does now
Montanans want more solar, natural gas development, are less interested in new coal plants
Poll week: How Montanans feel about sales tax, immigration and state officials
About this project
Montana Insights is a collaboration of Montana Free Press and Rutgers University’s Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling to survey Montanans about their state government. Montana Insights aims to equip everyday Montanans and those who influence public policy with information that will help them better understand the political landscape of our state.
Methodology
Montana Insights is an ongoing public opinion polling project conducted by Montana Free Press in partnership with the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University. Surveys are conducted using a mix of telephone interviews and text-to-web responses to reach a broad cross-section of Montana registered voters.
The winter 2026 version of the MTFP-Eagleton poll surveyed 801 registered voters through telephone interviews and text-to-web questionnaires. Data was collected from Dec. 23, 2025 to Jan. 3, 2026. The poll was weighted by sex, age, education, ethnicity, Montana region and 2024 presidential vote to reflect the state’s population of registered voters.
The poll had an overall margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points. A full methodology statement is available here.
Learn about our previous polling
Arthur M. Blank Foundation
Funding for Montana Insights came through the support of a grant from Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.