Public opinion polling can carry a lot of weight in how well it seems a candidate is doing, especially in the race for president.
Researchers say it’s important to know what polls can and cannot tell you.
The accuracy of polling has come under scrutiny as technology and voter attitudes have changed.
“Now anybody can do it pretty much. So you have a lot of individuals doing polling that are very questionable," said Thom Reilly, an ASU professor who designs and conducts polls.
He says despite the changes, there are still reliable ways to get people to participate.
“By identifying it as research and attaching it to a university or a reputable organization will help individuals or their willingness to actually respond," he said.
He said voters should pay attention to sample size, as any poll with fewer than 1,000 respondents will be less accurate.
Most public opinion polls used to be conducted by phone. But with the changing tech landscape, pollsters have had to adjust.
Researchers are using different ways to connect, such as combinations of texting, calling, and online outreach.
Reilly says it’s important to know who’s funding a poll, its sample size and to look for how polls are conducted.
"A red flag would be those that would opt in, either through the Internet or call in because you know the problem there is that you're concerned that that is not going to be representative of the sample you have," He said.
Reilly added it can be difficult to make conclusions from presidential polls, as they only capture snapshots in time and results often fall within the margin of error.
As for this presidential race, Reilly says, “chances are is that it's not really helpful because most of those margin error are, you know, five to eight points.”
