Faced with a big change in responses to a particular question, some announce a major shift in public opinion and scour the world in search of a cause. By contrast, when I see a big jump in the numbers, as my staff will attest, I respond by saying, “Let’s figure […] Read more »
The Self-Selecting Internet
The most obvious solution to the problems with telephone polling is to administer polls online. That is a solution to the burgeoning cost of polling but not to the problem of whether the sample is representative of the electorate. Internet polling is less expensive and many companies provide polling panels […] Read more »
Poll Hub: What’s in a Number?
The release of our latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll generated extra attention. Poll watchers, including President Donald Trump, took note of an increase in the proportion of Latino Americans who say they approve of Trump’s job performance. In this week’s episode of Poll Hub, we provide context to that finding, explain […] Read more »
People Do Not Want To Be Polled
The core problem with polling is that people do not wish to be polled. Those who answer their phones when the caller is unknown to them are unusual and atypical. And even many who do answer do not choose to complete the poll. This year’s telephone polling results were closer […] Read more »
The really scandalous part of Michael Cohen’s poll-fixing efforts
On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal attorney, tried to rig online “polls” in favor of Trump. The story isn’t the latest nefarious revelation to emerge from Cohen’s downfall. But the scandal here is less that Cohen tried to manipulate online popularity contests, […] Read more »
FAQ: Why you can be largely confident in public political polling
… We have dubbed this article an FAQ — responses to frequently asked questions — but, in the modern style of political discourse, it’s really meant to be an FOC — a debunking of frequently offered complaints. Those who deal with polling regularly, like me, hear thematically consistent complaints and […] Read more »