SP&R specializes in four distinct types of polling services for both our corporate and political clients. As a "full-service" polling firm all our services include questionnaire development, data collection as well as expert survey analysis and customized poll presentations. Following is a quick outline of each.
- Public Opinion Telephone Surveys (Using Live Callers) - Conventional-type surveys conducted for both corporate and political clients. These calls are made by our professional team of survey takers expertly trained in conducting all types of survey research polls. The universe for these calls can be registered or "likely" voters, consumers of particular goods or services or the general public. These surveys range from as little as 2 to 3 questions to as many as 50 or more when various campaign messages, legislative concepts or public policy issues need to be probed in great detail.
- Public Opinion Telephone Surveys (Using Automated Technology) - Conducted with our new Telesage© Automated Telephone System for both corporate and political clients. Unlike polls using "live" telephone agents, these polls use automated voice technology to allow survey respondents to respond to a pre-recorded series of questions by touching their telephone key pads to register their answers. These polls are used specifically for survey scripts that are extremely brief and to the point and cost less than conventional-type telephone surveys with "live" callers.
- Focus Group Research - SP&R now has a strategic partnership with a local firm to offer focus group services. Focus groups are a niche service designed specifically to package, develop, name or test-market a new product, or to pre-test TV, radio or print advertising scripts in advance of a public relations campaign. They can also be used to validate or compliment scientific polling or obtain qualitative research even before a scientific poll is conducted.
- Customer Satisfaction and Market Research Studies - Conducted with consumers, the general public or members of a professional trade association or non-profit organization to gauge attitudes, opinions or customer satisfaction about a new or existing product, service or benefit.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
|
|
Case Study - Ski Round Top Referendum
|
Ski Round Top, a skiing entertainment destination in Warrington Township, near York, PA, employed the services of Susquehanna Polling and Research to aid them in obtaining township support for a liquor license for their proposed new restaurant for patrons and skiers. Because the sale or purchase of alcohol was at the time prohibited in the township, any change to the liquor laws would have to be approved by the voters in a ballot referendum. SP&R conducted a telephone poll among local residents, and in particular "super voters" who vote in low turnout elections, to gauge the level of support or opposition towards the proposed referendum, as well as identify key messages to use in a public relations campaign to increase support. The central theme used in the campaign and agreed upon by most voters was the argument that the liquor referendum was essential to the continued long-term economic success of the ski lodge, a facility viewed by many as the main economic engine of the region. Using the survey results, Ski Round Top was able to launch an effective and well targeted grassroots and PR campaign to build support for the referendum. On May 19th, 2009, the referendum to allow the sale of alcohol in the township passed by a margin of 69% to 31%, and was one of two successful liquor referendums SP&R worked on in 2009.
|
|
Case Study - Lloyd Smucker Campaign
|
|
In February 2008, Susquehanna Polling was hired to help elect small businessman Lloyd Smucker to an open seat in the Pennsylvania State Senate in the 13th District based mainly in Lancaster County. Smucker faced three other candidates in the GOP primary in this heavily-leaning Republican district. Our benchmark poll revealed that voters were most concerned about rising property taxes and a lack of fiscal discipline in how state government operated in Harrisburg. As a fiscal conservative who never voted to raise taxes as a local elected official, the poll confirmed that Lloyd Smucker was the only candidate uniquely qualified to run as a true fiscal conservative. Although the initial benchmark poll showed Smucker trailing other candidates who had higher name ID, the poll confirmed that support for other candidates was fluid and significant ground could be made up if more voters knew about Smucker's unique credentials. Using our polling data as a campaign roadmap, Smucker set out to grow his support. Armed with a well-crafted message of cutting taxes and reducing state spending in Harrisburg, Smucker was able to grow his base of support with GOP base voters. In a follow-up tracking poll less than two months later, Smucker had surged ahead as the clear front runner and held his lead to Primary Election Day. Smucker was nominated with 48% of the vote in the primary and subsequently elected to the state senate in the general election. Our polling served as an essential tool for his campaign by identifying the key issues, the strengths and weaknesses of all candidates and the most effective campaign messages needed to grow his base of support. Without effective polling, his campaign would have been flying blind.
|
|
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.
|
|
