The Opinion Makers

A veteran pollster reveals how and why polls misinform policy makers and distort elections.With a new afterword by the authorDavid W. Moore pulls back the curtain on a polling industry that serves sound bites above all-and on the sometimes disastrous consequences. In this highly critical book, he reveals illusory public support on issues ranging from war and torture to creationism. Breaking down the manipulated horse-race numbers of our most recent presidential campaign season, Moore shows how pre-election polls concealed rampant voter indecision. He ends with ways to make pollsters deliver on their promise to monitor the pulse of democracy, including recognizing the growing importance of cell phones and Internet polling.Quotes"You will never regard political polls the same after reading David W. Moore's devastating inside account of their severe limitations and misapplications. This book should be required reading for journalists, political junkies, students, scholars, and citizens."-Robert W. McChesney, author of The Political Economy of Media"In this succinct and damning critique of the pitfalls of public opinion reporting, Moore . . . argues that today's polls report the whims rather than the will of the people. ... Keen and witty throughout."-Publishers Weekly