Suppose a stranger showed up at your house, a shiny new modem under his arm. He says he wants to attach the device to your computer so he can see everything you do online. … Google has hired a research company, GfK Custom Research, to send out old-fashioned letters seeking […] Read more »
Mark Penn: Political Brawler, Now Battling for Microsoft
Mark Penn made a name for himself in Washington by bulldozing enemies of the Clintons. Now he spends his days trying to do the same to Google, on behalf of its archrival Microsoft. Since Mr. Penn was put in charge of “strategic and special projects” at Microsoft in August, much […] Read more »
Social Networking Popular Across Globe
Social networking has spread around the world with remarkable speed. In countries such as Britain, the United States, Russia, the Czech Republic and Spain, about half of all adults now use Facebook and similar websites. These sites are also popular in many lower-income nations, where, once people have access to […] Read more »
The Best (and Worst) of Mobile Connectivity
Mobile phone owners like the convenience and ease of connectivity, but rue that they can be interrupted more easily, have to pay the bills, and face bad connections. Some 85% of American adults now own a cell phone of some kind, and these devices mean many things to their owners: […] Read more »
How Technology Changed Public Opinion Research in 2012
Among the many takeaways from the 2012 election cycle is that public opinion research must evolve with the American electorate. As more Americans use the Internet and mobile devices as part of their daily lives, harnessing these technologies is increasingly among the best ways to get an accurate read on […] Read more »
Election Reopens Debate Over Online Polling
Americans’ increasing reliance on electronic sources of information and methods of communication led some pollsters and media outlets to embrace online polling this year, and its fairly accurate performance in predicting the results of the election is reigniting a longstanding feud within the survey-research field. … The performance of Internet […] Read more »