Why Public Opinion Polling is Essential for Political Candidates

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Today’s political news stories often cite public opinion polls and surveys when covering specific issues and political candidates’ responses to them. These polls are often presented as indicators of the size of a candidate’s following leading into an election day. They are also seen as a form of propaganda to feed certain voters’ confirmation bias.

While polls such as these are commonplace in news coverage, public opinion polling can also be useful to political candidates for other reasons. By conducting a carefully-sampled public opinion survey, candidates can change or keep positions from their party platform to better align with potential voters’ concerns and desires. Furthermore, candidates can change their messaging during their campaigns to appeal to their target audience’s desires.

Popularity polls or polls that measure the public’s likelihood of voting for a certain candidate can also inform a political candidate’s strategy during a campaign. If a candidate is losing in popularity polls taken by a specific demographic, they can improve efforts to appeal to that demographic. This might mean increasing campaign ads for that demographic or ramping up outreach efforts and rallies in a specific location.

In addition to traditional quantitative surveys, other survey methods such as focus groups are also available to political candidates. Since focus groups allow respondents to explicate their feelings and attitudes in greater detail, candidates can get an even better understanding of the factors and motivations behind voters’ decisions.

John Zogby Strategies has mastered the art of survey data collection for political candidates. If you’re looking for an experienced political survey company or public opinion polling service that can conduct focus groups and public polls, be sure to contact John Zogby Strategies today.

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