Telephone Surveys

reportAug 1, 2016

Moving Without Changing Your Cellphone Number: A Predicament for Pollsters

By Meredith Dost and Kyley McGeeney Each year about 36 million Americans move residences, according to the Census Bureau. And they quite often take their cellphone numbers with them. Others have not moved but bought their cellphone in a different state. The net result, according to new Pew Research Center estimates, is that 10% of […]
short readsJun 16, 2016

In the age of big data, survey research will not only survive but thrive

The next frontier of public-opinion research is already visible in the “big data” revolution. Through the digital traces of our everyday activities, we are creating a massive volume of information that can tell us a lot about ourselves. Smart data science can identify patterns in our behaviors and interests. And in some domains, such as […]
short readsMay 11, 2016

The challenges of polling Asian Americans

Why aren’t Asian Americans shown as a separate group when differences among whites, blacks and Hispanics are discussed in survey reports? It’s a good question, so we put together a summary of some of the methodological and other issues on accurately polling U.S. Asians.
short readsJan 5, 2016

Pew Research Center will call 75% cellphones for surveys in 2016

We’re making this change to ensure our survey samples properly represent the now roughly half (47%) of U.S. adults who only have a cellphone.
reportNov 18, 2015

Advances in Telephone Survey Sampling

Telephone surveys face numerous challenges, but some positive developments have emerged, principally with respect to sampling.
short readsMay 14, 2015

Methods can matter: Where Web surveys produce different results than phone interviews

A Pew Research Center experiment found several key areas where Web surveys produced different results than those conducted by phone.
reportMay 13, 2015

From Telephone to the Web: The Challenge of Mode of Interview Effects in Public Opinion Polls

Among the most striking trends in the field of survey research in the past two decades is the shift from interviewer-administered to self-administered surveys. Fueled by the growth of the internet, self-administration as a survey mode presents a mixture of opportunities and challenges to the field.
reportMay 15, 2012

Assessing the Representativeness of Public Opinion Surveys

Overview For decades survey research has provided trusted data about political attitudes and voting behavior, the economy, health, education, demography and many other topics. But political and media surveys are facing significant challenges as a consequence of societal and technological changes. It has become increasingly difficult to contact potential respondents and to persuade them to […]