Polls & surveys
Subtitle: understanding what they tell us
By: Norman M. Bradburn, Seymour Sudman.
Contributors: Sudman, Seymour.
Edition: 1st ed.
Series: A Joint publication in the Jossey-Bass social and behavioral science series & the Jossey-Bass public administration series
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Published: 1988
Place of publication: San Francisco
Language: eng
Format: Trade Paperback
Number of pages: 249
Subjects: Public opinion polls.
Other titles: Polls and surveys.
Notes: Bibliography: p. 237-242.
Includes index.
Table of contents: title: Polling the Public: Purpose and Process. Definitions and Characteristics of Polls and Surveys -- Scientific Basis of Surveys -- Do Respondents Tell the Truth? -- Uses of Surveys and Polls -- Political Polling : A Special Case -- Growth of Public Opinion Polling. Antecedents -- Developments in the 1930s and 1940s -- The 1948 Disaster : A Setback for Polls -- Recent Trends : 1960s-1980s -- Developments Overseas -- Surveys and Social Science -- Additional Reading -- Proper and Improper Uses of Surveys. Use of Opinion Data by United States Presidents -- Congressional Polls -- Federal Government Surveys. Market Research • Associations and Interest Groups -- Use of Surveys in Legal Settings -- Social Science Use of Surveys -- Using Polls to Persuade -- The Polls as News -- Summary -- Additional Reading -- The Organizations That Do the Polling. Media Polls -- Private Polls -- Government Surveys -- Policy Researchers -- University Survey Organizations -- Commercial Market Research Organizations -- Professional Associations in Survey Research -- Opinion Polling Abroad -- Summary -- Additional Reading -- How Information Is Collected. The Organization of Interviewing -- Face-to-Face Versus Telephone Interviews -- Mail Questionnaires -- Combinations of Methods -- Relative Costs of; title: Alternative Methods -- Future Technologies -- Additional Reading -- How Respondents Are Selected. Defining the Population -- Probability Sampling -- Sampling Variance -- Simple Random Samples : The Use of Lists -- Random Digit Dialing -- Clustering -- Stratified Samples -- Estimating Sampling Variances -- Sample Execution -- Determining Sample Size -- Samples Used in Typical Polls -- Summary -- Additional Reading -- Asking the Question : How Wording Affects Response. Types of Questions Asked in Polls -- Effects of Question Wording on Answers -- Summary -- Additional Reading -- What Do the Answers Mean? Omission of Results -- Use of Single Questions on Complex Issues -- Treating the “Don’t Knows” and Undecideds -- Reports of Sampling Variability -- Comparing Different Groups -- Statistical Significance -- The Noncomparison Problem -- Explaining Results : Some Examples -- Summary -- Additional Reading -- Understanding Sources of Error. Sampling Error -- Sample Bias -- Nonsampling Errors -- Summary -- Additional Reading -- Should Polls Be Banned? Do Polls Unduly Influence Elections? -- Do Polls Invade People’s Privacy? -- Do Polls Oversimplify Issues? -- Are Poll Results Meaningless? -- Are the Polls in Trouble? -- Use of Polls for Illegal and Unethical Activities -- Summary -- Effects of Polls on Elections, Governments, Business, and Media. Effects of Polls on the Electoral Process -- Effects of Polls on Elected Officials -- Effects of Polls on Nonelected Officials -- Effects of Polls on Individual Citizens -- Effects of Polls on Businesses and Consumers -- Effects of Polls on the Media -- Effects of Polls on Debates of Public Issues -- The Future of Polls and Surveys -- Have the Polls Fulfilled Their Promise? -- Glossary.