20 Questions Journalists Should Ask About Poll Results
Dr. Sheldon Gawiser and G. Evans Witt, cofounders of the Associated Press/NBC News Poll, detail what reporters should ask to determine whether opinion research is reliable and meets the standards of the field. Prepared and distributed by the National Council on Public Polls.
Best Estimates: A Guide to Sample Size and Margin of Error
Editors ask for it and candidates worry about it. What is the margin of error for the survey you're covering? And how many people need to be polled for a survey to be considered representative? Check here for Public Agenda's detailed explanation of these crucial polling issues.
The Seven Stages of Public Opinion
You know that survey results vary depending on what questions are asked, who is asked, and how. But when you ask is just as important. Social scientist, author and Public Agenda co-founder Daniel Yankelovich developed an explanation of how public opinion changes over time from raw, unformed impressions to carefully-reasoned convictions.
Issues in Polling
Essays and articles by senior Public Agenda staff members on challenges facing the survey world and how surveys can best be used.
Sources and Resources on Polling
A list of professional organizations and firms involved in the field of public opinion research.
Red Flags
Surveys are a useful tool, but many times they should be used with caution. Public Agenda's Red Flags examines areas of public opinion research where findings may be misleading, unstable, or easily misinterpreted.
Ask Us
Public opinion is Public Agenda's specialty. Find out about the studies we've done and whom to contact with questions about the art and science of survey research.
Mystery Pollster
Mark Blumenthal, a veteran political pollster, isn't associated with Public Agenda but writes the best blog we've seen on public opinion surveys and methodology.
| 
