A pollster type e-mails about the new CBS presidential #s:
I’m pretty livid after reading the latest CBS poll, which shows POTUS at
a record low job approval, and VPOTUS in the teens.
Please check out page 18 of the pdf file that tallies up the poll. This
page includes the frequency data.
Note the respective numbers of Republicans and Democrats:
GOPers: 272 (weighted up to 289)
DEMs: 409 (weighted down to 381)
INDs: 337 (weighted up to 348)
This is NOT representative of the electorate.
They also used a split-sample methodology, which is legit (we’ve used it
ourselves), but which also INCREASES the margin of error for those
questions (a fact that is usually glossed over).
You’ll also note that the story
(http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/27/opinion/polls/main1350874.shtm
l) and the pdf both reference “Americans.” Not likely voters.
Now, I’ll tell you right now, what “Americans” or “adults nationwide”
think, doesn’t matter one iota in politics, or the polling world.
Ultimately, anyone who thinks CBS is guilty of bias can find more
evidence in this poll, which is exceedingly dirty.