Overview
The sources below may be helpful in understanding and evaluating public opinion polling in the United States.
Evaluating Polling and Public Opinion Sources
- National Council on Public Polls"An association of polling organizations established in 1969. Its mission is to set the highest professional standards for public opinion pollsters, and to advance the understanding, among politicians, the media and general public, of how polls are conducted and how to interpret poll results." [from About NCPP].
NCPP FAQs - American Association for Public Opinion ResearchAn association of public opinion and survey research professionals. [See About AAPOR]
Books
Exit Polls : Surveying the American electorate, 1972-2010 by Call Number: Olin Library Reference JK 2007 .B47 2012See "Advantages and Disadvantages of Exit Polls," pages 18-21. Contains a large amount of statistical information and graphs comparing exit polls over time.
The Voter's Guide to Election Polls by Publication Date: 2008Print title. 4th ed. New York: Rowan & Littlefield, 2008.
Chapters highlight the major elements of electoral polls and polling in the U.S. with an introduction to polls and surveys, the four main elements of the design and analysis of polls, evaluating polls, and a discussion of common complaints about polls and polling. Bibliographies with substantial annotations end each chapter. An excellent resource.
Dictionary of Polling by New York: Greenwood Press, 1992.
Definitions of about four hundred terms. The content of each entry is carefully linked to the appropriate source in the extensive bibliography.
