By: Staff Reports Project Will Look At Web Polling Techniques
Online polls are so unscientific that many journalists say they shouldn't be used at all. To address this issue, one of the Web's largest news sites will conduct a study of online polling techniques.
MSNBC.com has partnered with a team of researchers led by Yale University faculty member John Lapinski to come up with a standard that may improve the scientific validity of future Web surveys.
The two groups have developed an in-depth political survey about the upcoming Presidential election that will be conducted online at Decision2000.MSNBC.com and through random-dial telephone calls. Results will be compared to better understand the differences between the two polling methods.
"This method will allow us to better understand why and how Internet polls differ from phone polling and determine methods that will turn the Web into a respected medium for evaluating public opinion," said Michael Silberman, executive editor at MSNBC.com.
Lapinski, who teaches political science, will try to determine whether Web design features influence users' ability to understand Web surveys.
Copright 2000, Editor & Publisher.
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