Opinion Polls and Politics W : History, Theory and Practice

Opinion Pollsprovides a comprehensive exposition of the history and purpose of opinion polls, covering both theory and practice. It is written by an insider who has worked for over twenty years in the field, and thus draws on a wide range of practical experience. Polls were very much in the news after the 1992 and 1997 general elections, and the book discusses all the possible theories for the errors in 1992, examines the various changes in methodology to try and remove those errors, and evaluates their success in 1997. The book consists of three principal, interwoven strands: the history and development of opinion polling; the survey research theory which lies behind polls; and the methodology used in practice by the polls.