There are plenty of headlines proclaiming disaster for the polling field. In the last two election cycles, preelection polls have underestimated electoral support for President Donald Trump. In 2016, the problem seemed to be isolated to polls in specific states. In 2020, although vote totals are not certified, it’s clear that many state and national polls underestimated the Trump vote in the horse race between him and Democrat Joe Biden.
Certainly, pollsters have work to do. But pollsters did not create the expectation that horse race polling will elucidate exactly what is to come on Election Day all by themselves. The media, polling aggregators, forecasters and consumers are all part of the problem, and all need to participate in the solution. CONTINUED
Natalie Jackson (PRRI), USA Today