Whenever possible, you should compare the results of several different questions on the same subject to see if different wordings produce significantly different responses. It is important to evaluate each question in a poll in light of the previous question or questions that have been asked. Like a good attorney preparing to make a case, you must always strive to gather as much evidence as you can whenever you do any kind of research. Any single piece of information is almost always suspect if it cannot be corroborated. Look for a consensus of opinion before you begin to draw your conclusions.
Public opinion is the bedrock upon which democracy is built.
Many political figures claim to speak for the people. When they are done well, public opinion polls let the people speak for themselves. The public's voice can, however, be easily distorted by problems within surveys or inadequate readings of survey results. This checklist provides the tools every student needs to be an informed and discerning user of polling data, and a capable participant in our democratic society. The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research is the oldest and largest archive of public opinion data in the world.