Understanding how 2020 election polls performed and what it might mean for other kinds of survey work
Many who follow polls are asking how these errors could happen. Here, we’ll take a preliminary shot at answering that question.
Methods
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A voter data resource: Detailed demographic tables about verified voters in 2016, 2018
Data tables from interviews we conducted with verified voters after the 2016 and 2018 elections may help answer some election 2020 questions.
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What we can trust 2020 election polls to tell us
Polls can’t predict the future. But they are the best tool to reveal the public’s priorities and values, and why people vote the way they do.
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What the 2020 electorate looks like by party, race and ethnicity, age, education and religion
What does the 2020 electorate look like politically, demographically and religiously as the race enters its final days?
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Key facts about women’s suffrage around the world, a century after U.S. ratified 19th Amendment
At least 20 nations preceded the U.S. in granting women the right to vote, according to an analysis of measures in 198 countries and territories.
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Democrats Made Gains From Multiple Sources in 2018 Midterm Victories
Our analysis of verified voters examines what 2016 voters and nonvoters did in the 2018 midterm elections and offers a detailed portrait of the demographic composition and vote choices of the 2018 electorate.
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A Resource for State Preelection Polling
If a battleground state poll does not adjust for having too many college graduates, it is at risk of overstating support for a Democratic presidential candidate. The Current Population Survey provides high-quality data that can mitigate overrepresentation of college graduates.
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Polling methods are changing, but reporting the views of Asian Americans remains a challenge
The rise of internet polling makes it more feasible to publish estimates for Asian Americans. But these estimates offer a limited view.
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The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on our polling
Associate Director for International Research Methods Patrick Moynihan explored the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on survey research globally as part of an online conference hosted by the Centre for Social Research and Methods at Australian National University.
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What is machine learning, and how does it work?
Our latest Methods 101 video explains the basics of machine learning and how it allows our researchers to analyze data on a large scale.
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