Quiz: Test your polling knowledge
Test your knowledge of public opinion polling by taking our 10-question quiz.
National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS)
NPORS is an annual survey of U.S. adults conducted by the Pew Research Center.
Measuring the Risks of Panel Conditioning in Survey Research
A new evaluation of the Center's national American Trends Panel finds little evidence that panel estimates are affected by errors associated with panel conditioning, a phenomenon that occurs when survey participation changes respondents’ true or reported behavior over time.
How Pew Research Center Uses Its National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS)
In 2020, Pew Research Center launched a new project called the National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS). NPORS is an annual, cross-sectional survey of U.S. adults. Respondents can answer either by paper or online, and they are selected using address-based sampling from the United States Postal Service’s computerized delivery sequence file.
Confronting 2016 and 2020 Polling Limitations
Looking at final estimates of the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential race, 93% of national polls overstated the Democratic candidate’s support among voters, while nearly as many (88%) did so in 2016.
What 2020’s Election Poll Errors Tell Us About the Accuracy of Issue Polling
Given the errors in 2016 and 2020 election polling, how much should we trust polls that attempt to measure opinions on issues?
Democrats Made Gains From Multiple Sources in 2018 Midterm Victories
Our analysis of verified voters examines what 2016 voters and nonvoters did in the 2018 midterm elections and offers a detailed portrait of the demographic composition and vote choices of the 2018 electorate.
A Resource for State Preelection Polling
If a battleground state poll does not adjust for having too many college graduates, it is at risk of overstating support for a Democratic presidential candidate. The Current Population Survey provides high-quality data that can mitigate overrepresentation of college graduates.
The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on our polling
Associate Director for International Research Methods Patrick Moynihan explored the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on survey research globally as part of an online conference hosted by the Centre for Social Research and Methods at Australian National University.
Methods 101: What is machine learning, and how does it work?
We explain the basics of machine learning – using computer programs to identify patterns in data – and how it allows researchers at the Center to analyze data on a large scale.
