Skip to Main Content

PUBPOL 301

Political Analysis for Public Policy

Public Opinion

Useful for finding…

  • Data from polls conducted by survey organizations plus major newspapers and networks

  • iPOLL (national surveys from 1935 to present), Public Opinion Matters, Election Data, and National Science Foundation surveys

Strategies:

  • Choose iPOLL and search by broad keywords (think: how would the poll question be phrased?)

  • Use Boolean searches (AND, OR, NOT; * for truncation)

  • Click on the icon for “question details” , then “additional questions from this survey” to get the entire poll

  • If you see the RoperExpress icon  RoperExpress icon next to a question, click on it to download data

  • For datasets, not just individual questions, search Roper Express or "Search for Datasets"

  • You may sign in with a free individual account for more functionality

Useful for finding… Up to the minute polls from over 36 sources, including Gallup, Harris, Pew Research, and media

Strategies:

  • Recent polls are listed in the center
  • Search; or Browse polls by issue, using the links at the bottom below the current polls

Useful for finding…

  • Studies of attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues
  • National surveys that measure public attentiveness to major news stories
  • Trends in values and fundamental political and social attitudes

Strategies:  Use the site search box or browse surveys from the topic index tab