Exit Polls: Better or Worse Since the 2000 Election?

By Robin Sproul

A paper by Robin Sproul, fall 2007 fellow, details the growing problems with exit polls. Sproul writes that “the six news organizations that jointly conduct exit polls, ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, NBC, and the Associated Press have been on a roller coaster ride since Election Day 2000, with a great many successes, some spectacular failures, enormous efforts to ‘fix’ the polls, and millions of dollars spent in the process.” This paper reviews the concerns with exit polls identified by the news organizations after the 2000 election, progress made since then, and new concerns that have been raised.

Download the paper (PDF).