To Build Trust in Polling, We Must Consider Institutional Constraints Travis N. Taylor, Center for Excellence in Polling In his recent book, Poll-arized, market researcher John Geraci reported that only 17 percent of voters trust pollsters. This lack of trust is alarming for pollsters, many of whom see our job and our research as instrumental […]
Government by Public Opinion Peter Woolley, Fairleigh Dickinson University Reliable, frequent public opinion measurements in the United States have facilitated, in a way unprecedented in the histories of democratic rule, or any form of rule, the frequent invocation of public opinion, and its constant agitation, to arbitrate disputes among institutions and political actors. What politician […]
Improving Trust in Surveys by Focusing on the Respondent User Experience Kevin Collins, Survey 160 Many discussions of “trust in polling” focus on the perspective of consumers of polls: do people trust polls when they read top lines and crosstabs. But this is not the aspect of trust over which researchers have the most control. […]
Building Trust Through More Realistic Expectations… And a More Accurate Margin of Error Courtney Kennedy, Pew Research Center Public trust and confidence in polling is low. Over the years, AAPOR has made laudable trust-building efforts including the Transparency Initiative, Standard Definitions, and journalist education. But they aren’t enough. The public is distrustful of polling and […]
My fellow AAPOR members, I hope you all had a refreshing and productive summer! As we dive into the fall, I’m excited to share a few updates with you. This Thursday, we’ll be gathering for our next council meeting, where we’ll be discussing the planned initiatives of our committees and subcommittees. As always, the minutes […]
Brandon Sepulvado and Amelia Burke-Garcia, NORC at the University of Chicago Misinformation ranks among the top challenges for public health and public opinion surrounding health topics. AI-generated misinformation increases the spread and exposure to misleading health and medical information, posing a major challenge to health and well-being and impacting historically marginalized and minoritized communities. At […]
Ella Douglas-Durham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Misinformation, which refers to false or misleading information, has proliferated in recent years and become an increasing cause for global concern. Misinformation can have several negative impacts including undermining trust in institutions, shaping policy preferences and voting behavior, and influencing health behaviors and intentions. Existing research […]
Jenny Benz, NORC at the University of Chicago As we head into an election season full of unknowns, there is one gamble I am willing to take: Misinformation will be a central character in the 2024 election story. Any number of indicators suggest that’s a safe bet. Research on the volume of misinformation spread online […]
Krysten Mesner, U.S. Census Bureau Recently, I had the privilege of sitting down with Diane Willimack – Senior Survey Methodologist for Economic Programs at the U.S. Census Bureau – to gather some of her insights on economic survey research. Diane is an expert in the field of economic survey methodology, pioneering, in particular, the cognitive […]
Jason Kosakow and Sonya Waddell, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors. They do not represent an official position of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond or the Federal Reserve System. The COVID-19 pandemic sharply altered economic and business conditions in the United States. Demand for […]