How Indian food can predict vote choice

Questions about food, travel and the kinds of sports people engage in can be used as an index of someone's local versus cosmopolitan orientation

Sometimes, seemingly nonpolitical topics can shed light on people’s political choices, even after accounting for things like partisanship, education, geography and ideology. It’s as if the answers to these questions help account for some of what traditional political measures leave unexplained.

When was the last time you had vindaloo or tandoori chicken? Chances are if you’re a Democrat in Iowa supporting Joe Biden, it has been a while.

The latest New York Times/Siena College poll asked 584 possible Iowa Democratic caucusgoers lots of typical political questions, like whether they were Democrats or Republicans, and whether they planned to