Eric Cantor wasn’t the only person at a loss for words on Tuesday night. His pollster, McLaughlin & Associates, found itself trying to explain the impossible — how a projected 34 percent lead for the House majority leader 12 days before the election could end up an 11-point loss on […] Read more »
Eric Cantor’s Pollster Tries to Explain Why His Survey Showed Cantor Up 34 Points
Eric Cantor’s pollster whiffed. Less than a week before voters dumped the House majority leader, an internal poll for Cantor’s campaign, trumpeted to the Washington Post, showed Cantor cruising to a 34-point victory in his primary. Instead, Cantor got crushed, losing by 10 percentage points. How did Cantor’s pollster, veteran […] Read more »
Where Do Latinos Stand on Major Political Issues? Well, It Depends
As the percentage of the voting-age population that is Latino rises, politicians and pundits are paying closer attention to how this demographic feels about the issues. But new research calls into question whether they are getting good information. Specifically, it finds the stated opinions of Latinos vary considerably depending upon […] Read more »
Why People Hate Taking Surveys
… It’s little wonder that so few people are willing to respond to polls. It’s hard for people to know what is legitimate and what is just an attempt to sell them something. … The American Association for Public Opinion Research, the main industry group, is seeking to tackle some […] Read more »
Likely Voters: Why Later Not Now
Registered voters early. Likely voters later. Public polls serve their audience well by capturing the views of the electorate at an appropriate time and communicate precisely what group of voters they are including in their tabulations. Early in a contest, before voters have focused on the candidates or the race, […] Read more »
Think Internet Data Mining Goes Too Far? Then You Won’t Like This
These days, you can hop on the Internet and buy yourself a consumer-grade brain scanning device for just a few hundred dollars. Technically, they’re called brain computer interfaces, or BCIs. As these devices develop, researchers are thinking a few steps ahead — they’re worried about how to keep marketers from […] Read more »