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How to interpret polls

Voter issues highlighted in latest Franklin & Marshall poll results

  • Smart Talk
Shot of a group of businesspeople raising their hands to ask questions during a conference

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Shot of a group of businesspeople raising their hands to ask questions during a conference

Many election polls taken before the 2016 general election were wrong. Most reflected data indicating that Democratic candidate Senator Hillary Clinton was leading candidate Donald Trump.

Trump went on to win the election, which only a few polls indicated might happen. The election results left many questioning the value of election polls.

Experts caution that polls are often misunderstood and that they should be used as a snapshot, rather than a predictive tool.

Berwood Yost appears on Smart Talk on January 30, 2020.

Smart Talk

Berwood Yost appears on Smart Talk on January 30, 2020.

Berwood Yost is the Director of the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College. The Center has published the results of the most recent election poll and Yost appears on Smart Talk to explain how this poll and others can be used effectively.

Where do Pennsylvanians stand on the candidates for president and several other issues? Yost analyzes the results of the latest F&M poll on Smart Talk.

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