G. Elliott Morris — Strength in Numbers: How Polls Work and Why We Need Them - with Jamelle Bouie
July 13, 2022
1,266
30
2.37%
Search the Record
IndexedEvery word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.
Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.
Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line
Politics and Prose Episodes Around July 13, 2022
See what was published immediately before and after this episode.
58:53Now PlayingG. Elliott Morris — Strength in Numbers: How Polls Work and Why We Need Them - with Jamelle Bouie
YouTube Description
as posted by the channelAn insightful exploration of political polling and a bold defense of its crucial role in a modern democracy.
PURCHASE BOOK HERE
Public opinion polling is the ultimate democratic process; it gives every person an equal voice in letting elected leaders know what they need and want. But in the eyes of the public, polls today are tarnished. Recent election forecasts have routinely missed the mark and media coverage of polls has focused solely on their ability to predict winners and losers. Polls deserve better.
In Strength in Numbers, data journalist G. Elliott Morris argues that the larger purpose of political polls is to improve democracy, not just predict elections. Whether used by interest groups, the press, or politicians, polling serves as a pipeline from the governed to the government, giving citizens influence they would otherwise lack. No one who believes in democracy can afford to give up on polls; they should commit, instead, to understanding them better.
In a vibrant history of polling, Morris takes readers from the first semblance of data-gathering in the ancient world through to the development of modern-day scientific polling. He explains how the internet and “big data” have solved many challenges in polling—and created others. He covers the rise of polling aggregation and methods of election forecasting, reveals how data can be distorted and misrepresented, and demystifies the real uncertainty of polling. Candidly acknowledging where polls have gone wrong in the past, Morris charts a path for the industry’s future where it can truly work for the people.
Persuasively argued and deeply researched, Strength in Numbers is an essential guide to understanding and embracing one of the most important and overlooked democratic institutions in the United States.
G. Elliott Morris is a data journalist for the Economist, where he writes about American politics and elections. He lives in Washington, DC.
Morris is in conversation with Jamelle Bouie, a columnist for the New York Times and political analyst for CBS News. He covers campaigns, elections, national affairs, and culture. Previously, Jamelle was chief political correspondent for Slate magazine and a staff writer at The Daily Beast ; he also held fellowships at The American Prospect and The Nation magazine.
-------------------------------------Be Sure To Click SUBSCRIBE------------------------------------------------------
Visit us online at
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on instagram
Like us on Facebook
Follow Us On TikTok
Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter:
Founded by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade in 1984, Politics and Prose Bookstore is Washington, D.C.'s premier independent bookstore and cultural hub, a gathering place for people interested in reading and discussing books. Politics and Prose offers superior service, unusual book choices, and a haven for book lovers in the store and online.
Guests & Subjects Covered
Sentinel Indexing in Progress
Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.
All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.