Review of A guide to public opinion polls

Abstract

Reviews the book, A guide to public opinion polls by George Gallup (see record 1944-03547-000 ). Applied psychologists will welcome this book because it contains just the type of information to which skeptics or the uninformed may be referred when they desire to learn something about this relatively new technique. It deals with twelve general topics such as the function of public opinion polls in a democracy, the cross section, formulating questions, size of the sample, and polling accuracy. The plan of the book is novel and effective. From the first page to the last, it gives a series of questions together with brief answers. The total number of questions is 80 covering almost every conceivable aspect of polling. The answers, though brief, are straight-forward, factual, and convincing. The reviewer mentions the Gallup poll's underestimation of the 1940 presidential election. It is concluded that this specific defect should not blind one to the general accuracy and the widespread utility of the Gallup poll and of other equally reliable polls. They are important instruments in ascertaining public opinion not only with respect to social and political issues, but also in market research, industrial relations, education, and all other fields where opinions, beliefs, and attitudes must be taken into consideration in dealing with human beings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)