Public Opinion Polling Basics
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How do you write survey questions that accurately measure public opinion?
In the second video from our Methods 101 series, we’re tackling why question wording is so important in public opinion surveys.
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Video Explainer: Understanding survey question wording
The second video in Pew Research Center’s “Methods 101” series helps explain question wording – a concept at the center of sound public opinion survey research – and why it’s important.
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Commercial Voter Files and the Study of U.S. Politics
A new analysis demystifies voter files, the widely-used and comprehensive digital databases used to better understand the U.S. electorate.
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Q&A: The growing use of ‘voter files’ in studying the U.S. electorate
Read a Q&A with Pew Research Center’s Ruth Igielnik and Scott Keeter about a recent study about voter files.
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Use of election forecasts in campaign coverage can confuse voters and may lower turnout
Probability forecasts have gained prominence in recent years. But these forecasts may confuse potential voters and may even lower the likelihood that they vote.
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Public Opinion Research in Sub-Saharan Africa
Pew Research Center hosted a survey methodology workshop on the opportunities and challenges of conducting public opinion research in sub-Saharan Africa to identify and discuss best practices and future directions for the field.
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First-time internet users: Who they are and what they do when they get online
Having access to the internet did not lead to more online exploration for some new internet users, and some had difficulties with the tablets.
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Our Response to Concerns Raised About Our Analysis of the FCC’s Net Neutrality Public Comments
By Lee Rainie Pew Research Center released a report on Nov. 29 analyzing the 21.7 million comments submitted online during the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s open public comment period on net neutrality. Fight for the Future has raised concerns about some aspects of our report, two of which point out inaccuracies that do not change […]
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Many poll respondents guess wrong on their interviewer’s race or ethnicity
Establishing the interviewer’s perceived race or ethnicity is essential to understanding how it might affect the respondent’s answers to survey questions.
Signature Reports
A Field Guide to Polling: Election 2020 Edition
While survey research in the United States is a year-round undertaking, the public’s focus on polling is never more intense than during the run-up to a presidential election.
Comparing Two Types of Online Survey Samples
Pew Research Center conducted a study to compare the accuracy of six online surveys of U.S. adults – three from probability-based panels and three from opt-in sources. On average, the absolute error on opt-in samples was about twice that of probability-based panels.
Q&A: What is the American Trends Panel, and how has it changed?
Members of the American Trends Panel can now take our surveys online or over the phone with an interviewer.
How Public Polling Has Changed in the 21st Century
A new study found that 61% of national pollsters used different methods in 2022 than in 2016. And last year, 17% of pollsters used multiple methods to sample or interview people – up from 2% in 2016.
