Evaluate the criticisms of public opinion polling and outline the mechanisms by which such criticisms can be overcome.

While public opinions polling is important to the political system because it can help to gage the ideas and feelings of the citizenry and constituency. However, there are a number of ways that public opinion polling has been criticized. Sample sizes tend to be the greatest cause for concern because of the way that smaller samples, or limited demographics. This does not represent a large enough group in order to be fair to the results. Polling registered voters on preferences and not knowing whether that person is going to vote is a problem that skews numbers. To combat this, there can be more thorough measures taken in order to ensure the truth and accuracy of the poll.

The phrasing of the question can be critical in misleading interviewees or even confusing them into responding in a way that does not match their interests or plans to vote or act. Many polls used the tactic of forced choice surveys in order to garner a response no matter what, even if the person may not have a solid answer that is represented on the survey. Giving a large amount of information in the question itself can almost lead a person into siding with one answer or another, which can not only change the answers and outcomes, but change the way that person then views the election or issue in general.