Poll Hub

The pre-election polls in Virginia were wildly inconsistent. The disparate methodologies, specifically how samples were selected, muddied the narrative of the gubernatorial contest. As the Poll Hub team explains, the traditional method of conducting live interviews using a Random Digit Dial sampling method proved the most accurate in predicting this year's governor's race in Virginia. Which polling group was the most accurate, and what are the big takeaways for the industry? Poll Hub has the answers.

In this episode of Poll Hub, the team does something they have never done before – calling out poor question wording.

At issue is a question included in the October Harvard-Harris Poll which asks:

Some people say that the Iran nuclear deal is not perfect and the Iranians are building up their nuclear capability secretly, but we should not rock the boat now and just let it all slide along. Others say if Iranians are not compliant we have to call them out on it and push to renegotiate the deal with real verification. What would be your preferred course of action?

Confused? You are not alone. Poll Hub explains why this question is so confounding and why it should never be included in a survey.

With allegations that operatives based out of Russia purchased Facebook advertisements to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and an investigation underway by the United States Congress to assess the extent of the Russians’ interference, Facebook may have played an unexpected role in the electoral process of the United States.  How did this social media platform evolve into an advertising platform, and how did it become a political tool?

As the “Poll Hub” team discusses, Facebook’s technology allows audiences to be targeted on a granular level to receive a specific, tailored message.  As “Poll Hub” host and tech entrepreneur Jay DeDapper explains it, the lack of regulations of these advertisements created a digital “Wild West.”  

Though the Harvey Weinstein scandal has stolen the spotlight, sexual harassment in the workplace is not a new issue in American society.  But, it is a persistent one. 

According to new Exclusive Third Rail with OZY-Marist Poll findings, 87% of Americans believe that workplace sexual harassment is a problem.  Included are 42% of Americans who think it is a big problem.  As the Poll Hub team discusses, that proportion has increased by more than two to one over the past thirty years.

With few major statewide elections on the ballot this year, the Virginia governor’s race is front and center, but there is little agreement among the polls about the contest.

In this edition of Poll Hub, the team digs deep into the polls’ methodologies and explains the “special sauce” behind each poll.  Understand how the widespread experimentation in polling is complicating survey research today and why it is critical to examine the samples and weighting factors used by public opinion polls.  Plus, the Poll Hub team explains the difference between party identification and registration and why weighting by party is a recipe for disaster.