How Election Polls Work

Election polling is a special breed among public opinion surveys in terms of the sheer volume of polls conducted over a short period of time and the public attention these polls often receive. Besides revealing support for a candidate, election polls can be an important tool to understand the demographics, mood and attitudes of the electorate. They also can offer  insight into what the public thinks about contentious policy issues that arise during a campaign.

During the election cycle, journalists are confronted with a large number of horserace polls, and sometimes these polls can show very different numbers.

In this section, How Election Polls Work, we will discuss the elements of an election poll to help you evaluate its standards and decide what kind of coverage it merits. You can go to the How Did They Do It? section for a more in-depth explanation of polling methodologies.

Interpreting Polls explains how to interpret the election poll, to decide whether one candidate is ahead in the polls, to write about subgroups (such as women or young adults), to look at poll results over time and draw conclusions from those trends, and to understand why similar polls might have different results.

Beyond the Horserace offers insight into shaping your stories and coverage beyond the horserace results. You'll explore exit polls (how they are conducted and what they tell you), and different ways you can use polling throughout various stages of your coverage of the election cycle.