THE PULSE OF DEMOCRACY

This is not a record of findings, with definite conclusions, but a record of the methods used by the now famous Gallup Polls conducted by the American Institute of Public Opinion. They have proved a reliable barometer, because of their sustained accuracy over a period of time. This is the story of how they are made, the technique of finding out what groups think, not through the time-worn method of the written ballot, but by scientific interviewing doing on a cross section, known as the ""sampling method."" Various experiments and surveys are taken as samples, lists of types of questions used, percentages of results, given -- but no sweeping conclusions are drawn. So much is heard of these polls, that this book should appeal to the average layman.