The Evolving Use of Public Opinion Polls by The New York Times: The Experience in the 1992 Presidential Election

Abstract

Throughout 1992, The New York Times used public opinion polling to aid its reporters, editors, and readers in understanding how the American electorate was reacting to the personalities, issues, and events of the Presidential election campaign. The Times employed several polling devices to inform its reporters, editors, and readers about the political setting and public mood as the 1992 election year approached. Thus, the election outcome could be seen heavily, though not solely, as a referendum on the nation's economic situation and on the incumbent President's stewardship. During the 1992 election cycle we viewed the electorate as being influenced by forces of three different types — some of long duration, some of middling permanence, and some of short-lived intensity. The major polling lesson reaffirmed by The Times's experience in 1992 is that any program of opinion research must be designed so that it is responsive, flexible, and adequate to the task it faces.