Political practitioners too often see polls and focus groups as the automatic choices for political research. Polling tells you about aggregate attitudes. Strategic reliance on polling grew with dependence on television – a medium that used to reach most everyone and so aggregate attitudes and message receptivity made sense.
In the internet age, the strategic balance is shifting to more targeted research and a more diverse array of message options.
Here are some traditional research goals and some new (and old) approaches: CONT.
Diane Feldman