Public Opinion Polls and Reliability

Some mistakes in watching 2016.

The article “Why 2016 election polls missed their mark” seeks to explore reasons why many of the 2016 Election polls for the General Election between candidate Donald Trump and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were inaccurate. This article, written by Pew Research Center, hypothesizes three possible explanations. Read the linked article and answer the three questions below.

1. What are three possible explanations for the polling errors of 2016? Which ones do you find the most plausible? Why?

2. What is the Bradley Effect? Why is this significant in American politics? Do you think this still happens today?

3. Is “horse-race” coverage healthy for a democracy? Why or why not?