An Introduction to Survey Research, Polling, and Data Analysis

"The writing style is mature and experienced. There is noticeable care in the presentation of materials and appropriate sensitivity to the intended audience. . . . The book categorizes large bodies of wisdom in the conduct of survey research over the past half century and provides ′′rules-of-thumb′′ guidance to the production, analysis, and consumption of survey data."

--Steve Seitz, University of Illinois

"The authors have provided a well-written update of their textbook, which will be useful as a textbook or supplement in upper-division undergraduate or introductory graduate courses on survey research, statistical data analysis, or research design. The book provides readers with the knowledge that enables them to evaluate the results of survey research. It sensitizes the readers to potential problems that arise from flaws in research design, sampling, questionnaire construction, data collection, coding, data analysis techniques, and improper presentation or interpretation of findings."

--Mike Margolis, University of Cincinnati

Why should we believe the results of surveys based on relatively few interviews? What are the appropriate cautions in interpreting survey reports? Aimed at answering these questions, An Introduction to Survey Research, Polling, and Data Analysis, Third Edition describes how surveys are conducted in such a way that they can be believed, explains how to read statistical reports and analyze data, and provides guidelines that are useful in evaluating polls. Using frequent examples from contemporary, large national surveys and polls as well as from the media, the authors stress understanding tables thoroughly before moving to interval statistics. In addition, they cover survey design, sampling and question-writing steps, interviewing and coding strategies, and survey analysis from frequency distributions and cross-tabulations to control tables and correlation/regression. They also cover the ethics of survey research and how to read and write survey research reports. Readers of this book will learn to distinguish good from bad polls and to better design and conduct their own surveys and polls.

I am a Professor in the Department of Political Science at Ohio State University. My research and teaching interests include voting behavior, legislative behavior, and research methods, with a focus on survey research methods and scaling techniques.