Surveys 101: Writing about polls during election season and beyond

With the 2024 presidential election season underway, political polls seem basically inescapable – and with good reason. A well-designed survey can lend important insight into the public’s views and experiences. For journalists, working with high-quality survey data can inspire story ideas and add deeper context to reporting, while mistakenly using a shoddy poll can distort the facts and create confusion. We’ll give attendees the tools to tell the difference. While examples will focus on the 2024 election season, all information can be applied to surveys more broadly. This session will cover what polls can tell us -- and what they can't; and how to assess survey quality using metrics like questionnaire design, sample weighting and survey mode. We’ll also give tips on how to write about survey results in a fair and balanced way.

Pew Research Center’s Christopher Baronavski \ Katherine Schaeffer