How to read the polls like a nerd | #205 - October 2, 2022

Four tips from me for getting smarter about the polls. Plus, a brief history of survey methodology and October Q&A announcement!

Happy Sunday everyone,

Philip Bump, who writes chart-forward articles about US politics for The Washington Post, recently asked me to send him three tips for how to read the polls like an expert — “or, at least, not like a newbie.” Here is what I told him:

1. Take the “margin of error” and double it. Remember that a poll is a sample of a larger population. E…