Polls 101 AP Gov

Which of the following describes a benchmark poll?

• Initial poll conducted at the beginning of a campaign
• A poll conducted to gather demographic information
• A poll conducted to measure public opinion on a specific issue
• A poll conducted after the campaign has ended

Which of the following best describes an entrance poll?

• A poll conducted by interviewing people leaving the polling places
• A poll conducted via phone calls to registered voters
• A poll conducted as voters enter selected polling places on Election Day.
• A poll conducted after voters have already cast their ballots

Which of the following BEST describes an exit poll?

• A survey of voters taken immediately after they have exited the polling stations to predict the outcome of an election.
• A survey of candidates to predict the outcome of an election.
• A survey of non-voters to predict the outcome of an election.
• A survey of voters taken before they enter the polling stations to predict the outcome of an election.

Which of the following BEST describes a tracking poll?

• A poll that only asks one question to a large and diverse group of people.
• A type of poll that measures changes in public opinion over time by repeatedly asking the same questions to a specific group of people.
• A poll that focuses on gathering opinions from a specific demographic group.
• A type of poll that measures changes in public opinion by asking different questions to the same group of people each time.

Public opinion polls usually ask...

• All of these

• Elections

• Approval of the President

• Views on policy issues

Focus groups are different than polls because they...

• All of These

• Are more scientific than regular polls

• They have a large sample size and are really in depth

• Have a small sample size and are really in-depth

True or False: Good poll questions should be neutral and not be emotionally charged.

• True

• False

What is a representative sample?

• A representative sample is a subset of a population that only includes the most extreme cases.
• A representative sample is a subset of a population that only includes individuals from a specific age group.
• A representative sample is a subset of a population that accurately reflects the characteristics of the whole population.
• A representative sample is a subset of a population that is randomly selected without any criteria.

How do pollsters generally conduct random sampling?

• Using methods such as random digit dialing or random address selection to select a random sample from the population.
• Selecting individuals based on their age and gender to create a random sample from the population.
• Conducting surveys only in urban areas to select a random sample from the population.
• Using social media polls to select a random sample from the population.

Why might a pollster use stratification or weighting in a poll?

• To reflect a population when certain demographics are found in large numbers

• To increase the cost of conducting the poll
• To manipulate the results in favor of a particular candidate
• To make the poll more time-consuming