Polling and the Public: What Every Citizen Should Know (7th edition)

By: Herbert Asher

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Synopsis: How many of our answers to pollsters' questions are pure lies? Why do election predictions go terribly wrong? Asher (political science emeritus, Ohio State U.) updates his classic with new research and current events as he helps undergraduates and general readers understand what polls are, how they work, and what they do. He closely describes, with examples, the complicated relationship between the public and the polls, the problem with instability and a lack of opinion, the tricks of the trade in developing and arranging questions, sampling techniques and pitfalls, interviewing and data collection procedures, the ways in which the media uses polls, and the impact of polls on elections and democracy. One of the best chapters covers how to analyze and interpret polls. Each chapter includes exercises and Asher contributes web sites and references. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (book news. com)