Can AI Stand In for Human Survey-Takers? Not Really
Synthetic surveys using digital twins do a poor job estimating the public mood and are especially error-prone for some subgroups, including Republicans and Black adults.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS)
NPORS is an annual survey of U.S. adults conducted by the Pew Research Center used to to produce benchmark estimates for several topics.
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Q&A: Do AI and bogus respondents threaten polling’s future?
Courtney Kennedy, vice president of methods and innovation, answers some common questions about the current polling landscape in the U.S.
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Video: Can polls tell us who will win on Election Day?
We often hear a candidate is leading, trailing, or the race is tied. This is based on “horse race” polling, which estimates how much support candidates have, based on how people answer surveys leading up to an election. But accurately measuring the horse race is wicked hard for a few reasons.
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Religious Radio Across America
Almost all U.S. adults live in range of a religious radio station, most commonly Christian radio. Stations tend to broadcast either mostly music or mostly talk.
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The United States at 250: How the Country Has Changed in the Past 50 Years
As America turns 250, explore how demographics, work, family and economics have shifted since 1976, based on 50 years of Census data.
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Video: How do polls work when no one answers the phone anymore?
Ever wonder how we collect our data? Today, most polls are conducted online. But, most pollsters reject the idea that “one size fits all” when it comes to polling, so we still use phone calls or mail to reach people.
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Our favorite data visualizations of 2025
In this post, we’ll highlight a few of our favorite visuals from 2025 and walk through how we made them and what makes them successful.
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Video: Why have polls underestimated Donald Trump?
We’re in an era where the people most likely to respond to a poll are also the most likely to vote Democratic for president. Pew Research Center’s head methodologist Courtney Kennedy explains how pollsters are tackling this challenge to make samples as representative as possible.
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Counting Race: How the Census Measures Identity and What Americans Think About It
How the U.S. government measures race has changed substantially since censuses began in 1790. Today, Americans differ on whether the government should ask about race.
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A Field Guide to Polling: Election 2020 Edition
While survey research in the United States is a year-round undertaking, the public’s focus on polling is never more intense than during the run-up to a presidential election.
Comparing Two Types of Online Survey Samples
Pew Research Center conducted a study to compare the accuracy of six online surveys of U.S. adults – three from probability-based panels and three from opt-in sources. On average, the absolute error on opt-in samples was about twice that of probability-based panels.
Q&A: What is the American Trends Panel, and how has it changed?
Members of the American Trends Panel can now take our surveys online or over the phone with an interviewer.
How Public Polling Has Changed in the 21st Century
A new study found that 61% of national pollsters used different methods in 2022 than in 2016. And last year, 17% of pollsters used multiple methods to sample or interview people – up from 2% in 2016.
