PUBLIC OPINION WEBSITES
click on a link to go to the siteThis web site is intended to be a resource for students doing research in public opinion.
Click here to see the PAPER ASSIGNMENT for the Senior Seminar 2001.Click here to see a SAMPLE REFERENCE CITATION for polls and surveys.
Public Agenda Foundation Washington Post Polls
Eagleton Poll-Rutgers University CNN
Quinnipiac Poll University of Virginia Poll
Roper Center Poll -- U.Conn Political Information.com
Gallup Poll National Issues.com
New York Times Poll Links! New York Times "Poll Watch"
Pew Research Center for the People and The Press
University of Michigan Survey/General Social Surveys
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Public Opinion Paper
Senior Seminar
Due Nov. 1 in classPurpose:
Your assignment is to investigate an issue of public opinion in an area that relates to your senior thesis. You are strongly urged to use the MicroCase archive in the library, a real treasure trove of survey data. You might also consider with the archives of the Quinnipiac Poll or the Roper Center (through "reference" in Lexis-Nexus) as described in library workshops.Issue Focus:
In your essay you should provide significant historical and political context for the issue you are analyzing.Comparative Focus:
The research paper must be COMPARATIVE in focus. That is, it must compare survey research data in one or more of the following ways:
a) Comparison over Time: Examine polls taken or questions asked on at least four(and preferably more) points in time; focus on the changes and explain what events or factors may explain these changes.
b) Comparison Across Space: Compare public opinion on the same issue/question among two or more nations (or states of the USA) at the same time.
c) Comparison Among Subgroups: analyze opinion among various population subgroups of the United States, such as men and women, or different racial-ethnic-religious groups, or generations, or political parties, leaders and masses, members of the media, etc., etc.
d) Compare the Impact of Question Wording: investigate the potential effects of varying wording at approximately the same point in time or look at how wording may produce variation of opinion on a single issue.Format of Paper:
Your paper must (1) present and describe the background, (2) present the factual survey information, and interpret/analyze the meaning of the results.
Mere description in unacceptable. Instead, test a hypothesis, examine a historical claim, or show relationships.Style Requirements:
3 pages, typed, stapled. Proper spelling, syntax and grammar. Clear and descriptive title; pages numbered; proper citation of all sources. Provide a chart or table of your results.
HOW TO MAKE CITATIONS The following will be graded along with the rest of the paper. Full documentation on any public opinion data used in the analysis. Supply complete question wording, sample size, interview method, sample method, sponsoring organization (if any), survey organization, and the source of the data. This information can be placed in an endnote, given at the bottom of a table or presented in its entirety in an Appendix. In some cases it may not be possible to give all this information, depending on the source.
FOR SURVEYS AND POLLSHere are two examples of a Reference Page citation for a survey question. (add full results if not including them in the paper itself).
_________________________________________________________________References
Pew Research Center Poll. April 3-7 1997. Question: "Compared to the immigrants of
the early 1900s, are today's immigrants more able to adapt to the American way of
life, less able to adapt to the American way of life, or are they about as able to adapt
to the American way of life?" Method: National telephone interviews of 1206 U.S.
adults.General Social Survey, 1996. Question: “How important is being an American to you,
where 0 is not at all important, and 10 is the most important thing in your life?”
Method: Nationwide telephone survey of 2904 adults.