* From pollster Dave Fako’s latest client newsletter…

Many of our recent messages have discussed the changes being make in the public opinion research profession, adapting to the new communication habits of potential respondents to surveys and how to assess the quality, reliability and accuracy of polls. In these messages we have shared information from Pew about changes in their methods and the status of polling.

Well, Pew has put out another great article, which details some topics we have written about too, particularly methodological disclosure, cell phones and the use of online / Internet methods. We strongly recommend it to anybody who is a consumer of public opinion research or has an interest in the profession.

* From that Pew story…

Is polling broken?

Here’s a myth that we can set aside right at the start: Polling is not “broken.” Well-designed and carefully administered surveys still work, and there’s plenty of empirical evidence to back this up.

Even outside the U.S., there is substantial evidence that polling hasn’t witnessed a substantial decline in accuracy. A comprehensive review of polling accuracy published in 2018 found that “relying on vote intention polls from more than 200 elections in 32 countries over a period of more than 70 years, there is no evidence that poll errors have increased over time….”

But there are developing issues, so go read the rest.