public opinion polling
Gauging collective views
Public opinion polling is the practice of surveying samples of a population to gauge collective attitudes on issues, candidates, or events.
Polls attempt to measure what people think at a given moment: Public opinion polling shows the race tightening.
The methodology—sample size, question wording, timing—significantly affects results, making polling both influential and controversial in democratic societies.
- surveysSystematic information gathering
- respondentsThose who answer queries
- random samplePortion selected by chance
- sampleSubset for study
- margin of errorAllowable deviation from truth
approval rating · electorate · demographics · tracking · likely voters · registered voters · swing · undecided · silent majority · landline · questionnaire · response rate · sentiment · barometer · forecast · pundits · horse race · sampling
public opinion pollingpropaganda
Biased information for influence
astroturfing · manufactured consent · push polling · censorship · disinformation campaigns
public, opinion, polling, publicly, publicity, publicize, publicized, publicizing, publication