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FAQ: Questions about Exit Polls

FAQ: Questions about Exit Polls
Mark Blumenthal
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Head of Election Polling at SurveyMonkey

Head of Election Polling at SurveyMonkey
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Since the election, I have written quite a bit on exit polls. Although I have learned a lot in that process, my Election Day summary of “what you need to know” about exit polls still holds up well and is a good place to start if you are new to this site.

Here is the complete list of questions:

  • Where can I find the "uncorrected," just-before-poll closing exit poll tabulations?

  • Where can I find official methodological information about exit polls?

  • What is the margin of error for exit polls?

  • Were the exit polls really "wrong?"

  • Why were exit polls in Germany & Utah so accurate?

  • Have the exit polls been wrong before?

  • If not random error, why were they "wrong?"

  • So if exit polls have so much error, why do them?

  • I heard the exit poll estimates for Hispanic voters have been revised -- is that true?

  • What is MP's reaction to the paper, "The Unexplained Exit Poll Discrepancy," by Steven Freeman? (This post dicusses his first draft at length, this post has Freeman's response).

    • You can also see a summary of all posts about exit polls (in reverse chronological order) by clicking this link.

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