What are Public Opinion polls?
Public opinion polls or surveys assess public opinion. It is a form of opinion research designed to measure people’s thoughts and feelings on important social and political issues that affect everyday life. Just as marketing research aims to understand consumer attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors; public opinion polls explore society’s feelings towards public issues. What are some of the characteristics of public opinion polls? • Assess widespread public opinion • Give broadly applicable results (respondents provide a composite view of the larger population) • Use many of the same techniques that are used in marketing research • Subject matter leans toward social or political (public) topics • Are conducted in short time-frames due to the dynamic nature of society Why are public opinion surveys important? Public opinion surveys are important because they inform policy-makers, political candidates, the media, and society (itself) of the public’s perceptions and behaviors towards broad ran
