Welcome to
Scoping the Polls, which is an election year offshoot of
VassarStats: Web Site for Statistical Computation. The focus of
Scoping the Polls is the remarkable and, to many, rather puzzling process of voter preference polling. Out of many millions of potential US voters, a very tiny
fraction—typically about 600
to 1200—are asked which of two (or more) candidates they prefer; and the resulting proportions of preferences within the sample are then generalized to the entire population.
The link entitled «
Estimation and Margins of Error» will take you to an explanation of the logic that underlies this process.
«
Calculators» will take you to a page on which you can perform several types of polling-related calculations of your own, using either real polling data or various
what-if scenarios.
And «
Polling Links» will take you to a selection of links to other
polling-related sites.
