Polling and the Media |
Reporting "The Polls" in 2004
KATHLEEN A. FRANKOVIC is director of surveys for CBS News.
Address correspondence to the author; e-mail: kaf{at}cbsnews.com.
Media reports of polls indicate how well public opinion polls have been integrated into campaign coverage. This article examines how polls were used in 2004. Although there were relatively limited methodological changes in how polls were conducted in 2004, there were changes in how the polls were treated in the media. Americans in 2004 were subjected to intense debates about polls and to as much reporting about "the polls" as there was of the polls themselves. The discussion of "the polls" in 2004 included claims of electability during the Democratic nominating process, increased reporting about methodological issues, and heightened political criticisms of "the polls." The article concludes with a discussion of the current state and the future of news polling.