Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
The mobile nature of wireless phones creates a significant problem for geographic sampling and analysis. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the wireless-only are more geographically mobile than those with landline phones.
Despite such challenges as a growing wireless-only population, possible racially-related response bias and greater-than-usual difficulties in forecasting turnout, pollsters' methods were evidently adequate to the task.
How the question is phrased has a clear impact on whether the public rates deficit reduction or stimulus spending more important.
Because Muslim Americans make up a very small percentage of the U.S. public, it is difficult to provide a reliable picture of their views and differences in survey design can crucially affect findings.
Pollsters and other communications researchers are finding their job ever more challenging but also more interesting, and, with the help of new techniques and data sources, even more amenable.
This analysis summarizes differences in presidential horserace estimates based on likely and registered voters in 2008 and previous election cycles and describes the Pew Research Center's 2008 likely voter scale.
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About Pew Research Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
