Public Opinion Polling Basics
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Methodological Research
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Methodological Research
Publications
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Building Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel
In early 2014, Pew Research Center set out to build a probability-based panel – the American Trends Panel – to supplement our traditional method of data collection in the U.S. – the random digit dial (RDD) telephone survey. Here’s how we built and managed the panel, and what we learned from it in 2014.
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What we learned about surveying with mobile apps
No research has compared app-based surveys with polls administered via Web browsers. Our new, experimental work compares the results of these two modes.
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App vs. Web for Surveys of Smartphone Users
Pew Research Center methodologists examine the efficacy of intensive data collection with a probability-based panel and the differences in participation and responses when using a smartphone app as opposed to a web browser for a study of smartphone use.
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The challenges of using Facebook for research
We wanted to analyze the role Facebook played as a means for people to hear about, discuss and share local news. But getting the data we needed wasn’t easy.
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On Twitter, local news is hard to find
Here’s a rundown of what worked and what didn’t in using Twitter for our research of three local news ecosystems.
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Q&A: How Pew Research analyzed local media ‘ecosystems’
Our new report on local news in a digital age looks at both the organizations providing the news and the residents consuming it.
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Why Pew Research Center is going deeper on science
While we have explored science-related issues in the past, our new science publication marks a more formal commitment to studying the intersection of science with all aspects of society – from public opinion, to politics and policymaking, to religious and ethical considerations, to education and the economy.
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Religious conversion in Latin America: How we surveyed people on their beliefs
Pew Research Center’s survey in 18 Latin American countries and Puerto Rico found that many Latin Americans are leaving Catholicism and joining evangelical Protestant churches. We sat down with senior researcher Neha Sahgal to see how these conclusions were reached.
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Pew Research will call more cellphones in 2015
An estimated 46.5% of U.S. adults are cell-only today. To keep pace with this trend, the Pew Research Center will increase the percentage of respondents interviewed on cellphones in its typical national telephone surveys to 65%.
Signature Reports
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.
