A Journalist's Guide to Public Opinion Polls Gawiser, Sheldon R. and Witt, G. Evans

This straightforward text provides journalists, both professional and student, with an explanation of the realities of an increasingly important facet of today's precision journalism--public opinion polling. The work aims to provide the skills necessary for evaluating and interpreting survey results accurately. After a brief review of the historical relationship between the press and public opinion, the authors examine the polling environment today. Then, step-by-step, they take the reader through the basics of journalistic uses of public opinion surveys and the questions to be asked by the journalist in evaluating a survey: who did the poll; who sponsored the poll; what were the survey questions and how were they worded; what is the sampling error; how to report poll results; how to put survey figures in context; and how to make and evaluate projections based upon polls. In addition, the text offers a review of statistical methods for the journalist and a 20 question checklist.

DOI: Mouse over the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to learn more about this book or related books published by Greenwood Publishing Group. Visit the Greenwood Publishing Group page for this title: http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/C4722.aspx

A Journalist's Guide to Public Opinion Polls Hardback, 192 pages, $103.95 Copyright ©1994, Praeger Publishers ISBN: 0-275-94722-X DOI: 10.1336/027594722X

Powered by Content Directions, Inc. (CDI) and the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) View additional CDI examples     Want to Add This Link to Your Site?