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Article: The pitfalls of polling.(public opinion polls)
- Article from:
- St. Louis Journalism Review
- Article date:
- February 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 SJR St. Louis Journalism Review. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Polling is a science, but one facing numerous pitfalls. The votes of millions of Americans and funding for candidates may be shaped by the published results of polls.
The shortcomings of polling during the current primary--not only in New Hampshire, but also in South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Missouri--reveal how easily voters can be misled by depending on these polls as many do.
Close to 80 percent of persons contacted by pollsters refuse to cooperate. Some are not reachable since they use cell phones as their primary phone, they are unlisted or, in the case of Internet polling, may not have computers or may dismiss it as junk mail, according to ...