Science · Facts & sources
4 sourced facts about survey and polling protocols — the standardized methods researchers use to measure opinion, each with the context behind the number. 4 more are in today's round and appear here after it closes.
Answerover 99.9%
Census protocol sends workers to knock on doors for every household that doesn't self-respond, closing most of the gap by the final count.
Source: Wikipedia, 2020 United States census (2020) en.wikipedia.org
Answerabout 62.1%
Self-response protocols (online, phone, mail) have been declining decade over decade, down from 67.4% in 2000 and 66.5% in 2010.
Source: Wikipedia, 2020 United States census (2020) en.wikipedia.org
Answerabout 1,700 homes
Modern Nielsen protocol now blends panels with big data spanning tens of millions of households and devices, a huge leap from the 1980s.
Source: Wikipedia, Nielsen ratings (2024) en.wikipedia.org
Answerpostal ballots (~12% of votes)
Election-day exit polls looked accurate for in-person voters, but mail ballots counted afterward reversed the projected result.
Source: Wikipedia, exit poll (2016) en.wikipedia.org