The 2016 and 2020 elections raised questions about the state of public opinion polling. On the one hand, polling ultimately got key contours of the 2020 election correct. But the consistency with which most poll results differed from those election outcomes is undeniable. Pew Research Center is working to understand why polls have underestimated Republican support and what adjustments may need to be made. In a new report, the Center looks at what we’ve learned about the American Trends Panel, our online survey panel of more than 10,000 randomly selected U.S. adults. We took a look at how well the panel represents the entire U.S. population, and how it could be improved.
