Methods 101: What are nonprobability surveys?
Our latest Methods 101 video explores some of the ways these surveys differ from traditional probability-based polls.
Nonprobability Surveys
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How Does Pew Research Center Measure the Religious Composition of the U.S.? Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: Measuring religious identity How does Pew Research Center measure the religious identity of survey respondents and the religious composition of the U.S.? Answer: Generally, we rely on respondents’ self-identification. A key question we ask in many surveys is: “What is your present religion, if any? Are you Protestant, Roman Catholic, Mormon, Orthodox such […]
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Video Explainer: Understanding survey question wording
The second video in Pew Research Center’s “Methods 101” series helps explain question wording – a concept at the center of sound public opinion survey research – and why it’s important.
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First-time internet users: Who they are and what they do when they get online
Having access to the internet did not lead to more online exploration for some new internet users, and some had difficulties with the tablets.
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Personal finance questions elicit slightly different answers in phone surveys than online
People polled by telephone are slightly less likely than those interviewed online to say their personal finances are in “poor shape.”
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Few mode effects found when Americans are asked about their news consumption habits
A new analysis sheds light on concerns raised among pollsters that the medium by which a survey question is asked – its mode – can affect responses.
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How can a survey of 1,000 people tell you what the whole U.S. thinks?
The first video in our “Methods 101” series is about random sampling, a concept that undergirds all probability-based survey research. Here’s how it works.
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Are Telephone Polls Understating Support for Trump?
An experiment comparing responses to 27 questions fielded on both a telephone and a web survey found no significant mode differences in overall opinion about Trump or many of his signature policy positions.
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A basic question when reading a poll: Does it include or exclude nonvoters?
Opinion polls in the U.S. can address the same topic yet reach very different results. There are several reasons this can happen, but we tackle one of the most basic: Did the poll include or exclude the 45% who didn’t vote in November?
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