Polling for a new federalism

Several items in the news lately demonstrate that our nation’s current strain of federalism is straining. State-legal marijuana vendors in Colorado and Washington cannot use banks because of federal rules. The federal and some state governments are vexed over handling tax and other legal matters for same-sex couples married in […] Read more »

GfK Web-Based Polls: Why Do AP, Pew, CBS, and Other Media Trust Them? A Recent GfK Poll Raises Doubts

In November, iMediaEthics tested Pew’s October poll results on trans fat: Pew’s phone poll (conducted by PSRAI) found 44% in favor of trans fats being banned from restaurants, while iMediaEthics’ November GfK web-based poll found 64% in favor. iMediaEthics re-tested both polls in December to see if public opinion had […] Read more »

There’s an app for that: Mobile-based app surveys hold great potential for polling

As Americans increasingly turn to mobile phones as their primary platform of communication, survey researchers must adapt with new methodologies to reach audiences no longer connected to landline telephones. … At Public Opinion Strategies, we’ve been experimenting with mobile surveys. App-based mobile survey research is at the forefront of new […] Read more »