Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
A public opinion poll is a survey used to collect the attitudes, beliefs, and opinions of a specific group of people on various issues. It employs a systematic method to quantify the views of the population or targeted demographic.
Related terms
Sampling: The process of selecting a representative group from the larger population to participate in a survey, ensuring that the results can be generalized to the whole population.
A statistic expressing the amount of random sampling error in a poll's results, indicating how much the opinions in the poll might differ from the overall population's opinions.
Statistical data relating to particular groups within a population, used in public opinion polling to segment and understand different subsections' views and behaviors