polling

As poll proliferation goes national Harvard's Professor Jill Lepore questions polling's value to our democracy.

Polls were critical in killing the Boston Olympics bid. Some thoughts on why polls still deserve public scrutiny.

As the case of the Boston Olympics shows, polling is gaining more influence in public policy decision making. We should think more deeply about its characteristics and effects.

Journalists love to report on early presidential preference horse race polls. There is just one problem: those polls are virtually meaningless.

Does the public need 110 polls on the Republican presidential nomination -- in mid July of 2015? Nope; those polls are beneath trivial. On the other hand, polling may well decide the fate of the 2024 Boston Olympics.

Should Boston win the bid for the 2024 Olympics? Pollsters will play a big role in that decision.