Lonely Americans trapped in their homes because of the coronavirus outbreak are answering their phones to talk to political pollsters in big numbers, a reversal of fortunes for an industry that has recently struggled to connect with people. The Hill interviewed more than a half-dozen of the nation’s top political […] Read more »
Pollsters approve of newly talkative respondents
A poll released by the Siena College Research Institute over the weekend found that 87 percent of New Yorkers have had their lives significantly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. That group, it seems, includes the pollsters themselves. CONT. Bill Mahoney, Politico Read more »
Political Pollsters Find People Stuck at Home Are Happy to Talk
Democratic pollster Celinda Lake is used to people hanging up on her after giving all manner of excuses. “‘No, I’m running out the door.’ ‘No, I’m busy.’ ‘No, I have to grab the kids from school.’” But in the social isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic, more people are taking her […] Read more »
How to Read Polls Amidst a Crisis
… Call it cherry-picking or call it confirmation bias: Some people tend to pay more attention to polls that reflect well on their favored candidate, party, or cause. Others are guilty of seizing upon the most recent poll and assuming that God has spoken, without taking into account that one […] Read more »
Poll Hub: The Time Has Come
On this week’s episode of Poll Hub, the nation’s eyes turn to South Carolina where it’s make or break time for many of the Democratic presidential candidates, including Joe Biden. We assess the latest polls of South Carolina voters and share our observations as the contest moves on to Super […] Read more »
Assessing the Risks to Online Polls From Bogus Respondents
More than 80% of the public polls used to track key indicators of U.S. public opinion, such as the President’s approval rating or support for Democratic presidential candidates, are conducted using online opt-in polling. A new study by Pew Research Center finds that online polls conducted with widely-used opt-in sources […] Read more »