Are Opinion Polls Useful?
By Ralph Nafziger,
Pofessor of Journalism, University of Minnesota
Contents
What Was the Old-Fashioned Way of
Polling Opinion?
- How accurate was the old way?
What Are Public Opinion Polls?
- How widespread is their use?
- How many are questioned?
- How is the sample set up?
- How are the questions phrased?
- What kinds of questions are asked?
- How are interviewers trained and supervised?
Why Do Polls Get Different Results?
- Does chance enter in?
- Are the differences significant?
- How U.S. Public Opinion in Prewar Shifted in Response to Events Abroad
Is It Important to Know Public Opinion?
- What’s public opinion to a democracy?
- Do elections tell enough?
- Do polls stimulate discussion?
What Types of Information Can Polls Find?
- What value are pre-election polls?
- Are polls reaching new fields?
- What influence have they?
- Do they help load the bandwagon?
- What do studies reveal?
Should Congressmen Rely on Poll Results?
- Is the public always right?
- Is the minority important?
- Have polls a place in government?
Should Polls Be Financed and Used by Federal Agencies?
Should An Unbiased Check Be Made of All Polls?
- How can leaders arouse interest?
- What kind of discussion meeting is best?
- Handbooks to help discussion leaders
- Questions for discussion are important
