Customer Reviews

The Illusion of Public Opinion: Fact and Artifact in American Public Opinion Polls

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Professor Bishop does a wonderful job reviewing a broad range of academic studies and professional practices related to public opinion research and the presentation of public opinion results. Simply as a literature review, this book is invaluable. But the critique is something that the media, academics, and the public should take seriously.

Lastly, by heeding the words of George Bishop and rigorously applying the procedures he suggests, we need not dismiss the value of polls outright.

There is so much to learn in this book, and the writing style has made the book so accessible to a broad readership that I think it should be valuable even outside of the community of public opinion researchers and consumers.

Dr. Bishop has made a fine art out of finding problems with modern polling techniques, and illustrates his abilities in this fine book. While he is quick to point out the problems with commercial and political polling, Dr. Bishop does not discount the practice entirely. This would be a good book for anyone who believes political polls have the pulse of the American public.