Where Did You Get This Number? is a very useful and easy-to-read primer on the basics of modern polling. However, those seeking detailed discussion of contemporary polling issues and controversies will probably have to look elsewhere.
... breezy and informative ... Mr. Salvanto... explains matters well known to political junkies: how samples are weighted to reflect relevant characteristics of the expected electorate; how questions are worded to avoid nudging respondents in one direction or another; how a random sample of 1,000 people can almost always provide a usefully close approximation of the opinions of tens of millions ... If you want to get a feel for what it’s like working at a network decision desk on election night, go read Mr. Salvanto’s first chapter.
... enlightening ... The author lays out a highly readable discussion using real-world examples that illustrate the value of polling, not the least of which is tracking changes in attitudes, beliefs, and feelings over time.
When the phone rings and someone asks for your opinion on a political matter, writes Salvanto, kindly take the call and give an answer. Polls are imperfect measures, but perhaps less imperfect than we think—especially, writes the author, if we disagree with the result. They differ, of course, and they can be errant in giving an impression of certainty when they indicate only probability; think of all the polls showing that Donald Trump had no chance of winning the last election. There is a vast difference between certainty and possibility, and while a good poll will indicate a range of possibilities and not a single outcome, we dislike guesses ... A revealing look at the numbers, how they’re derived and interpreted, and how they sometimes fail us. Timely reading for the coming midterm elections.
Salvanto, the director of elections and surveys for CBS News, does an admirable job of explaining how polls actually work and how polling data is compiled in this approachable overview. Salvanto plainly states polls aren’t concerned about people as individuals; they are about trying to find out what people share (or don’t share) with others concerning a particular topic. While he goes into great detail explaining how samples are put together and participants are contacted, the real meat of the book is in the details of particular polls and their findings ... General interest readers and news junkies alike will come away with a greater appreciation of how polls and surveys are conducted, as well as a much clearer sense of what they mean.