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Polling and the Public
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Polling and the Public
What Every Citizen Should Know

Ninth Edition
August 2016 | 360 pages | CQ Press
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Polling and the Public helps readers become savvy consumers of public opinion polls, offering solid grounding on how the media cover them, their use in campaigns and elections, and their interpretation. This trusted, brief guide by Herb Asher also provides a non-technical explanation of the methodology of polling so that students become informed participants in political discourse. Fully updated with new data and scholarship, the Ninth Edition examines recent elections and the use and misuse of polls in campaigns, and delivers new coverage of web-based and smartphone polling.

 
Preface
 
Chapter 1: Polling and the Public
The Importance of Polls

 
The Pervasiveness of Polls

 
Commissioned Polls

 
FRUGging, SUGging, and Pseudopolls

 
The Citizen as a Consumer of Polls

 
Citizens' Views of Polls

 
Polling and Democracy

 
Exercises

 
 
Chapter 2: The Problem of Nonattitudes
An Example of Nonattitudes

 
The Use of Screening Questions

 
Nonattitudes and the Middle Position in Survey Questions

 
Response Instability and Nonattitudes

 
Implications for Democracy and Public Policy

 
Conclusion

 
Exercises

 
 
Chapter 3: Wording and Context of Questions
Question Wording

 
Question Order and Context

 
Order, Context, and Visual Effects in Self-Administered Surveys

 
An Extended Example

 
Conclusion

 
Exercises

 
 
Chapter 4: Sampling Techniques
Nonprobability Sampling

 
Sampling Designs

 
Sample Size and Sampling Error

 
Total Versus Actual Sample Size

 
Response Rates

 
Weighting the Sample

 
Two Extended Examples

 
Conclusion

 
Exercises

 
 
Chapter 5: Interviewing and Data Collection Procedures
Methods of Collecting Polling Information

 
Interviewer Effects in Public Opinion Polling

 
Internet Polling

 
Conclusion

 
Exercises

 
 
Chapter 6: The Media and the Polls
Standards for Reporting Results

 
Substantive Interpretation of Polls

 
Media, Polls, and the News Reporting Emphasis

 
Conclusion

 
Exercises

 
 
Chapter 7: Polls and Elections
Sponsors of Election Polls

 
Types of Election Polls

 
Uses of Polls by Candidates

 
Polls in the Presidential Selection Process

 
When and Why Election Predictions Are Wrong

 
How Preelection Polls Affect Voters

 
Conclusion

 
Exercises

 
 
Chapter 8: Analyzing and Interpreting Polls
Choosing Items to Analyze

 
Examining Trends with Polling Data

 
Examining Subsets of Respondents

 
Interpreting Poll Results

 
When Polls Conflict and When Polls Surprise: Some Final Thoughts

 
Exercises

 
 
Chapter 9: Polling and Democracy
How to Evaluate Polls: A Summary

 
Polls and Their Effect on the Political System

 
Conclusion

 
Exercise

 
 
Websites
 
References
 
Index
Key features
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
  • New examples relate to the 2016 presidential and 2014 midterm elections, as well as issues such as the AAU survey on sexual assault and misconduct on college campuses.
  • Provides in-depth examples of flawed media coverage of polls and/or inaccurate interpretation of poll results to help readers become more careful critics of claims and assertions made based on poll results.
  • Technical materials have been updated, but are still presented in straightforward language.
  • Exercises have been updated and linked better to student learning outcomes.
KEY FEATURES:
  • Methodology and technological issues are covered in the context of an interesting example.
  • Extensive treatment of analyzing and interpreting polls is given from a substantive, example-based perspective.
  • Exercises at the end of each chapter provide a good foundation for student self-learning and a helpful guide for instructors.

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

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