What do focus groups and exit surveys contribute to what we know about public opinion?
Exit surveys and focus groups are alternative ways of measuring public opinion about the courts. Exit surveys collect information from court users immediately after a court experience. Sometimes they are administered to jurors; other surveys seek the opinions of all individuals leaving the courthouse. Focus groups bring together a dozen or so individuals to participate in a structured and intensive discussion of specific issues. Participants can be selected at random or purposefully chosen because of their experiences or background. In some applications a focus group is brought together several times (Morgan, 1988; Krueger, 2000). Focus groups do a good job at building an understanding of the way people approach a topic, presenting their thinking in the round. The methodology is dynamic, revealing opinions sharpened by debate, new information, and reflection. Disadvantages of focus groups include their short duration and the influence of the focus-group facilitator. Like public-opinion
