How pollsters have adapted to changing technology and voters who don’t answer the phone

By Spencer Kimball, Associate Professor of Communications, Director of Emerson College Polling, Emerson College
Camille Mumford, Affiliated Professor in Communication Studies, Emerson College
Matt Taglia, Senior Director of Emerson College Polling, Emerson College

As the U.S. presidential election approaches, news reports and social media feeds are increasingly filled with data from public opinion polls. How do pollsters know which candidate is ahead in what swing state or with which key demographic group? Or what issues are most important to as many as 264 million eligible voters across a vast country?

In other words: How do pollsters do what they do?

At Emerson College Polling, we…

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