Lesson Plan #:AELP-GOV0030

Political Polls

An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan

Submitted by: Rob Bishop
School or Affiliation: Box Elder High School, Brigham City, Utah
Endorsed by: These lesson plans are the result of the work of the teachers who have attended the Columbia Education Center's Summer Workshop. CEC is a consortium of teacher from 14 western states dedicated to improving the quality of education in the rural, western, United States, and particularly the quality of math and science Education. CEC uses Big Sky Telegraph as the hub of their telecommunications network that allows the participating teachers to stay in contact with their trainers and peers that they have met at the Workshops.

Date: May 1994

Grade Level(s): 9, 10, 11, 12

Subject(s):

Overview: Many view polls as either magical predictions or sinister voodoo. Neither is accurate. Polls are merely a source of information.

Purpose: In a society which surveys everything from soap used to political preference, it is essential that polls are neither feared nor revered. Students must know polls are statements of short term probability that may easily be skewed. They are a tool to help man make rational decisions.

Objectives: Students will understand A) terms of polling B) philosophy of how polls are constructed C) how polls may be inaccurate D) how polls may be used.

Resources/Materials: I recommend "The Use of Polls in Political Campaigns" by Richard Smolka. It may be obtained through the Taft Institute of Two-Party Government, 420 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10017, tel. (212) 689-0230.

Activities and Procedures:

I. Define Terms

II. Philosophy of Polling

A. Random Selection
B. Selection Process

III. Reasons for Error

A. People Lie
B. Interview Technique
C. Questionnaires
D. Sample Selection
E. Probability Factor

IV. Types of Polls

V. Use of Political Polls

A. Determination of political climate
B. Candidate Identification
C. Voter Priorities and Expectations
D. Issue Identification

VI. Analysis
(NOTE: Details for the lecture outline can be found in the reference materials, other texts, or by contacting me at Box Elder High School, 380 South 600 West, Brigham City, Utah 84302.

Tying It All Together: Conduct a poll of student body elections. It can be reasonably accurate and simple with the following steps:

  1. Acquire master printout of all students.

  2. Using the principle of random selection, choose students on a ratio. Start with a given student (the third, fourth, etc.) on the list and choose every tenth (or fifteenth or twentieth, etc.) name.

  3. Prepare a printed survey from, including instructions and purpose. The more confidential, the better. A form that can be filled out and returned will have half the "undecided" responses of a telephone or face-to-face survey.

  4. Distribute and collect all forms on the same day at the same time period.

  5. Collect and tabulate data. If this can be repeated two to four times during the course of the election, kids will also pick up trends, peaks, bandwagon effects, etc.

An outgrowth was candidates wanted this information and used it to create increasingly sophisticated campaign strategies - but that is another lesson plan. Political Polls