Original scientific paper
The Population Reduction Problem in Public Opinion Research by Telephone Polls
Vesna LAMZA POSAVEC
Abstract
The paper analyses the possible influence of population
reduction on the validity of public opinion research by means
of telephone polls. The results of the analysis indicate in the
first place that in our circumstances the owners of telephones
are on average more educated, of higher material status
and considerably more interested in political events than
people without telephones, while on the level of political
attitudes they are significantly more critical towards the
global social situation, ruling party and generally those in
power. However, in accordance with the results of the
analyses conducted, at the level of the current prevalence of
households with telephone connections, these differences
should not significantly decrease the validity of telephone
polls’ results with regard to those obtained in household
research of public opinion. Especially after applying the
usual procedures of weighting results, used for correcting the
representative quality of completed research samples.
Nevertheless, apart from reducing the population, the
telephone poll technique has some other faults in
comparison to questionnaires conducted on the spot, but it
also has some indisputable advantages. Therefore, only a
comparative analysis of the validity of results of both
household research and telephone polls could show to what
extent the telephone poll, in our circumstances, is truly an
applicable technique of public opinion research.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
20343
URI
Publication date:
31.8.1999.
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