What does a poll's margin of error describe?
AnswerThe range of uncertainty in its estimate
It shows how far the result may differ from the true value.
Society · Facts & stats
Poll facts & stats
7 fact-checked facts about polls, surveys and public opinion research, each with the reason behind it. 5 more are in today's round and join this page after it closes.
The basics
What is a straw poll?
AnswerAn informal, unofficial vote
Straw polls gauge opinion without any official force.
Going deeper
Which pollster founded the American Institute of Public Opinion in 1935?
AnswerGeorge Gallup
Gallup's name became a byword for polling.
The Literary Digest poll famously mispredicted which US presidential election?
Answer1936
Its huge but biased sample picked the wrong winner in 1936.
What is a "push poll"?
AnswerPersuasion disguised as a survey
Push polls aim to sway opinion, not measure it.
Expert level
Which 1948 newspaper headline became famous after polls called the race wrong?
AnswerDewey Defeats Truman
Truman held up the Chicago Tribune's mistaken headline.
The agree-disagree rating scale used in surveys is named after whom?
AnswerRensis Likert
Likert introduced the scale in 1932.
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