How is political polling done?
Numerous polling and media organizations conduct political polls to gauge voters’ thoughts on election-related issues, candidates, debates and more. Polling involves several steps including selecting a sample, developing questions and checking for accuracy.SamplingPollsters select a particular number of people from a population they want to answer their poll, which is called a sample. Typically, pollsters want a diversity of voters in their sample to better reflect a population’s thoughts.Creating QuestionsResearchers develop a number of questions that address voters’ thoughts on an issue or candidate. These questions are put together as a survey for people to answer.Types of SurveysThe most common types of surveys used for political polling are mail, web and telephone surveys.AccuracyPolls are checked for accuracy by running a number of statistical tests. Accuracy can depend on a number of factors, but the number of people surveyed and the diversity of a sample are usually the most im