About
The Kitchens Group is a public opinion research and political consulting firm located in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1983, the firm combines academic training in political communication with practical experience in campaigns, legal research, and public issue strategy.
Built around research, persuasion, and disciplined public opinion analysis.
At the center of The Kitchens Group is a family-led commitment to careful listening, disciplined analysis, and practical strategy. Liz and Jim Kitchens have helped shape a firm known for translating public attitudes into clear guidance for campaigns, organizations, legal teams, and public issue advocates.
Their work reflects a simple belief: effective research should not only report what people think, but explain why they think it — and what messages can responsibly move decisions.
Dr. Jim Kitchens
Dr. James T. Kitchens is an attitude and mass persuasion specialist with a Ph.D. in political communication from the University of Florida. He is the author of The Four Pillars of Politics: Why Some Candidates Don’t Win and Others Can’t Lead, published by Rowman & Littlefield Books.
His work has supported campaigns for Governor, U.S. Senate, Members of Congress, state-wide offices, referenda, legislative caucuses, associations, political parties, and corporate clients. He has also served on the faculty of Texas Christian University and the Graduate Program in Political Science at the University of Florida.
Built one of the longest operating public opinion research and political consulting firms in the country.
Interviewed more than five million Americans across elections, public issues, legal questions, and corporate concerns.
Supported campaigns for Governor, U.S. Senate, Members of Congress, statewide offices, referenda, caucuses, associations, parties, and corporate clients.
Published and taught on political communication, including The Four Pillars of Politics and more than twenty academic research papers.
Dr. James T. Kitchens
Founder, pollster, and message strategist
Liz Kitchens
Liz Kitchens
Survey design, analysis, and methodology
Liz Kitchens has been in the market research field for forty years as a focus group and survey research specialist. She has designed surveys and facilitated focus groups for political campaigns, legal issues, referenda issues, and public relations campaigns. Liz specializes in research related to aging issues in women over the age of fifty.
(01)
Author of Be Brave. Lose the Beige: Finding Your Sass After Sixty, winner of the 2024 National Indie Excellence Award for aging.
(02)
Founder of What’s Next Boomer, a website helping Baby Boomers navigate retirement options, and Be Brave. Lose the Beige!, a blog focused on women and aging issues.
(03)
Conducts workshops and seminars on creativity and its impact on healthy aging.
(04)
In 2025, conducted a national survey of 720 women over the age of fifty with The Kitchens Group and Vantage Data House; the findings were published by news sources across the United States.
(05)
Sample publications from the 2025 survey include:
The survey was conducted among a demographically representative sample of women over fifty, with a margin of error of 3.7%.
Experience across campaigns, issues, legal questions, and academic research.
The Kitchens Group has researched a wide spectrum of public concerns including Presidential elections, environmental issues, legal disputes, health care, education, marijuana, gender and equality questions, and corporate matters. Dr. Kitchens is the author of more than twenty academic research papers and has guest lectured at universities across the country.