About this item
Highlights
- John Zogby, one of America's most prominent pollsters, offers readers a master class in understanding what polls can reveal about public opinion.
- About the Author: John J. Zogby is the founder of the Zogby International Poll, and he serves as a senior partner at John Zogby Strategies, a full-service marketing and political consulting firm.
- 176 Pages
- Political Science, Political Process
Description
About the Book
John Zogby, one of America's most prominent pollsters, offers readers a master class in understanding what polls can reveal about public opinion. Illustrating his arguments from key political races of the last 40 years, Zogby shares true stories about how polls have been misused and when they have been used well or badly.
Book Synopsis
John Zogby, one of America's most prominent pollsters, offers readers a master class in understanding what polls can reveal about public opinion. Illustrating his arguments from key political races of the last 40 years, Zogby shares true stories about how polls have been misused and when they have been used well or badly.
Review Quotes
John Zogby is offering us a fascinating tour of the back office of modern polling. We all will be wiser consumers of polls after reading this fascinating book.
John Zogby is the most inventive and perceptive pollster I know. When we see 'Walmart voters, ' 'Investment Class voters, ' and others, we immediately know who they are. Reporters like me rely on his numbers and analysis to answer the simple question, 'Why?' While critics say the sun is setting on polling, In Beyond the Horse Race, Zogby explains why data is more important than ever and taps his 40 years in the business to tell us how best to read it and use it. Like every Zogby Poll, this is a must read!
Lots of people talk about polls, but few actually understand how they work and how they should be used. John Zogby is a veteran who does, and this clear and compelling explanation should be required reading for anyone who really cares about polling.
Polls are assiduously followed by politicians, the media, and a large segment of the public as a means of assessing trends, guiding political campaigns, and even influencing votes. However, leading pollster Zogby makes the case that many people are missing valuable information by focusing on the superficial 'who's ahead and by how much' aspect of polls, and in this book, he puts forth his argument. He admits that polls can be misleading if the methodology used is not adequately stringent. While the science behind polling is sound if properly applied, much can go wrong, such as human error, political bias, and other factors involved in the famous 'margin of error.' Zogby leads the reader through the proper process that usually leads to reliable results and the information that can be gleaned by deep diving into those results. He explains why a good poll is usually reliable but also why poll results can differ widely. His analysis underscores when polls can be trusted as well as when skepticism is warranted. A timely read for the politically inclined.
This book could not be more timely as another presidential election looms and opinion polls are both devoured and demonised. John Zogby, who has spent decades at this, reminds us that pollsters are human too - creative, fallible, resourceful, proud when they get it right and embarrassed when they don't.
Zogby's book is a fluently written attempt to demystify the art and science of polling and characteristically accessible to the non-expert. He knows that good polls go well beyond the horse race and offers a fascinating insight into why groups such as Weekly Walmart Shoppers, Investor Class, NASCAR Fans and The Creative Class can hold the keys to the White House.
Zogby is a registered Democrat who has polled in 80 countries. From his controversial Zogby Interactive Poll to his insistence that the 2016 election polls were right and the pundits were dead wrong, he is not afraid to rattle cages. He is also disarmingly honest about moments when he got it horribly wrong. With pollsters under scrutiny as never before, this insider's cri du coeur is essential reading.
Zogby draws from his vast experience as a pollster to critique the polling industry with professionalism and wit. He tells us how polls are used, abused, misinterpreted, and misapplied. He claims that the polling industry is misunderstood - and he is right. His personal insights into the polling profession help us understand the value of polling and how it promotes our democracy. Zogby takes us on an enjoyable ride into the mysterious art of polling.
About the Author
John J. Zogby is the founder of the Zogby International Poll, and he serves as a senior partner at John Zogby Strategies, a full-service marketing and political consulting firm. Zogby has written weekly articles for Forbes, and he has contributed to a weekly ongoing presidential report card since the beginning of the Obama administration.
