..."Polling is complex, fascinating, and important. Pollsters give themselves
the task of figuring out what millions of people are thinking about a given
topic and report the results in a matter of days or even hours….Polling uses
small samples to represent the views of very large numbers of people, and it is
difficult for many people to believe that this process provides a true
understanding of what everyone in the larger society thinks....I'm convinced
that once people go behind the scenes and learn how polling really works, they
will be much more likely to appreciate the valuable role polling can play in a
democratic society." -From POLLING MATTERS
Every president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has relied on polls to gauge the
thinking of the electorate. Major U.S. media outlets not only report on polls
but also frequently commission their own. To its critics, polling can be
dangerously imprecise, distort the work of press and politicians, and pose a
mortal threat to the democratic process itself. To its defenders, polling is an
invaluable source of information, giving us a unique and consistently accurate
window into issues as diverse as voting preferences, gender differences, race
relations, child rearing, consumer habits, health care, and education.
Now Frank Newport, editor in chief of The Gallup Poll-the nation's preeminent
polling source-tells the skeptics why polls matter…and explains to the rest of
us exactly how polling works. Proving that polls are not to be feared but to be
used wisely, he shows us how:
• Polling can scientifically and accurately generalize about millions by
examining the preferences of a random few
• Public opinion rejects the trendy in favor of the stable and traditional
• Pollsters can satisfy the media's growing appetite for polls without
distorting or oversimplifying the data
• Politicians can use polling results to tailor their agendas...to reflect
genuine public opinion
• Poll analysts can maximize the value of polling results to journalists,
politicians, and the public
• Polls collect the wisdom of the people more efficiently than the vote.
The people's voice is knowing and almost always on target. It forms what Dr.
George Gallup-the founder of the famous poll that bears his name-proclaimed over
sixty years ago as the true pulse of democracy. Fascinating, informative, and
provocative, this book demonstrates how polls lie at the vital heart of a
well-functioning and free society.
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