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Politics

W. Joseph Campbell, Professor of Communication Studies, American University School of Communication

Often in error but still seductive: Why we can't quit election polls

Donald Trump Joe Biden Jimmy Carter CNN NBC News the Wall Street Journal The Washington Post

Polls showed Joe Biden, right, holding double-digit leads over Donald Trump, left, in the run-up to the 2020 election, but he won election by only 4.5 percentage points. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File

Their record is uneven. They misfired in one way or another in the past three presidential elections. And yet the prevalence of election polls is undiminished. Thirteen months before the 2024 election, polls are many – and inescapable.

Why is that? What explains polling’s abiding appeal despite its performance record?

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