Q&A Elliott Morris, "Strength in Numbers"
14 snips
Nov 7, 2022 
G. Elliott Morris, a data journalist at The Economist and author of Strength in Numbers, delves into the fascinating evolution of public opinion polling in the U.S. He unpacks the intriguing reasons polls missed key outcomes in the 2016 and 2020 elections. Morris emphasizes the importance of transparency in reporting poll results and the role of issue polling in shaping democracy. He recounts historical polling missteps and the impact of polling methods, highlighting how technology transformed the landscape of public opinion measurement.
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Literary Digest's 1936 Failure
- The Literary Digest mailed millions of ballots in 1936 using telephone and car owner lists.
- Their sample overrepresented wealthy voters and missed Roosevelt by 38 percentage points.
Gallup Brought Science To Polling
- George Gallup applied advertising research methods to politics and founded modern scientific polling.
- He framed polls as a democratic tool to measure public will and guide leaders.
FDR's First Pollster, Emil Herja
- Franklin Roosevelt hired Emil Herja as the first White House pollster to target resources and track trends.
- Herja built early tracking polls that helped Democratic successes in the 1930s.
