5.5 Polling & Public Opinion

In the previous section, we learned about what Gen Z, as a generation, thinks about political parties and other issues. How did we get that information?

Polling is the process of gathering information about public opinion by surveying a group of people who represent a larger population. Public opinion refers to the collective attitudes, beliefs, and views of a population or specific group on key topics, often measured through polls and surveys. Polling provides a way to understand how people think and what they prioritize, offering insights into topics like political preferences, social issues, or policy support.

Polling organizations, such as Pew Research Center and Gallup, conduct surveys to learn how different groups feel about issues like climate change, party affiliation, or voting behavior. These surveys collect data from thousands of respondents, often selected to ensure diversity in age, gender, race, geography, and other factors. Analysts use statistical methods to interpret the results, searching for patterns that reveal trends in public opinion. For example, they might compare responses between generations to see how attitudes differ or track how opinions change over time. By analyzing this data, researchers can identify shifts in values, predict voting behavior, and better understand public priorities.