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POLLING
Public Opinion Polling
A public opinion poll is a type of telephone program conducted to measure attitudes and opinions on an issue. Public opinion polls are scientifically conducted because the methodology employed uses a "random sample" of a given population based on a specific set of questions at a particular point in time. It cannot predict the future, but is a measure of what people are thinking at the time the poll is taken.

Why conduct a telephone poll?
Telephone polls can be conducted for many reasons based on the type of organization and universe to be surveyed. Some of the most common reasons for conducting a poll include:
  • To measure voter attitudes on campaign and election-related issues for candidates running for local, state or federal office.
  • To measure the public's attitudes and opinions on a legislative, regulatory or government related issue or public policy initiative.
  • To assess the viewpoints and opinions of the members of an association on customer satisfaction issues.
  • To test consumers' attitudes and opinions on a product, market research concept or advertising issue.
Who do you poll?
The "universe", or respondents to be surveyed can be an association's membership, the general public, a company's clients or customers, a federal, state or local government's consumer or customer base or the voters in a political jurisdiction. Within the given population, a random sample is normally selected that statistically reflects the demographics of that population.

How much does a poll cost?
The cost of a poll is primarily influenced by both the sample size (i.e., the number of interviews required to constitute a valid poll) and the length of the poll or "interview length" as measured by the time it takes a respondent to complete the survey. The sample size varies according to size of the population to be measured. For example, conducting a random sample of Pennsylvania residents would require a larger sample size than a poll conducted regionally or at the local level. The length of a poll is determined by both the number and type of questions used in the questionnaire. For instance, questionnaires which include open-ended questions that allow respondents to offer his/her opinions in a "verbatim-style response" take longer to complete than "closed-ended" questions in which a yes/no or multiple-choice format is used to record the respondents' answers from a list box or pre-determined set of responses.
Official Pollster of ABC27 News
Date Poll
07/23/2008 PA Wants Reform
04/14/2008 Clinton v. Obama
03/11/2008 Clinton v. Obama
12/05/2007 Gasoline Prices Poll
02/28/2007 Nationwide Immigration Poll
11/02/2006 Midstate November Poll
10/12/2006 Hazleton Immigration Poll
10/11/2006 ABC Fall Poll
07/02/2006 Midstate Property Tax Poll
05/09/2006 Mid-State Immigration Poll
04/21/2006 PCN Statewide Poll
04/21/2006 Mid-State Poll
04/21/2006 Statewide Matchups


SP&R's Computer Operations and State-Of-The-Art CATI System
Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews

Susquehanna Polling & Research uses the state-of-the art Windows based WinCATI software to automate the key activities of the telephone interviewing process. Developed by Sawtooth Technologies, WinCATI is a computer-assisted telephone interviewing system allowing our market research interviewers to conduct telephone surveys using the assistance of a Windows-based software application to handle all aspects of survey research polling such as computer-assisted dialing of telephone numbers, recording of responses in a computerized survey questionnaire as well as data collection, tabulation and analysis functions.
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Susquehanna Polling & Research, Inc.
604 North Third Street, Harrisburg PA 17101
Telephone: (717) 233-8850 • Fax: (717) 233-8842