How much are polls misrepresenting Americans?
Declining response rates for polls mean we must r…
An episode of the The Science of Politics podcast, hosted by Niskanen Center, titled "How much are polls misrepresenting Americans?" was published on June 1, 2022 and runs 45 minutes.
June 1, 2022 ·45m · The Science of Politics
Summary
Declining response rates for polls mean we must rely on the shrinking minority of Americans that agree to be interviewed to represent the broader public. Josh Clinton finds that Democrats were more likely to agree to be interviewed than Republicans or Independents in 2020. Common corrections could not compensate, as the partisans who do respond aren’t representative of those who don’t. Amnon Cavari finds that the people who refuse to participate in polls are less educated and less interested in politics. This means our measures of polarization overestimate partisan differences by speaking only to the highly engaged. We rely on public opinion surveys, but small response biases can paint a misleading picture. Guests: Josh Clinton, Vanderbilt University; Amnon Cavari, Reichman University Studies: “Reluctant Republicans, Eager Democrats?” and “Survey Nonresponse and Mass Polarization.”