It happens with the advent of every new technology - those who don’t understand its complexities or who fear a time-tested standard will be set aside in favor of something innovative and fresh, react first with condemnation, the facts notwithstanding.

Thirty-five years ago, complaints were aired about the use of telephones in public opinion research. Now, interactive polling, which employs computers, the Internet, and email to test public opinion, is coming under sporadic, if misinformed, attack. Proven interactive polling methodologies aside, some people just can’t let go of the hard-wired telephone as the only survey tool they will accept.

But the world is moving forward with technology, and in the polling industry, Zogby International is leading the way.

Zogby International’s groundbreaking new Zogby Interactive poll is the wave of the future. Contrary to sporadic characterizations on the Internet, the strength of the results of the 2004 Presidential election has validated Zogby’s new method. Zogby Interactive accurately predicted the winner in 85% of the states that it polled, while by state, the poll was within 4 points on average. In 2005, Zogby Interactive accurately predicted the results of both the New Jersey and Virginia Gubernatorial races, the poll was within 2.5 points on average.

At this link, Pollster John Zogby discusses interactive polling, including Zogby Interactive results:

http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1039

As a pioneer in the field, Zogby expects a certain degree of skepticism of this groundbreaking method. While caller ID, cell phones and rapidly falling response rates foreshadow a day where telephone polling is less preferable, Interactive polling is well on its way to becoming as accurate as telephone polling. Zogby is continuing to undertake rigorous research and development in its Interactive polling to be ready to take the polling industry into the next generation. And though Zogby’s Interactive polling is not yet perfect, its results in 2004 and 2005 speak for themselves, and Zogby anticipates even greater accuracy in the 2006 elections.

Zogby has assembled a database of individuals who have registered to take part in online polls through solicitations on the company's Web site, as well as other Web sites that span the political spectrum – liberal, conservative, and middle of the road; politically active and apolitical; easy to reach and hard to find. Many individuals who have participated in Zogby's telephone surveys also have submitted e-mail addresses so they may take part in online polls. Political polling is not the only reason people have signed on to take part in the Interactive surveys many have joined to participate in our consumer research as well as the recent risky sex survey conducted in conjunction with MSNBC. Zogby has taken strenuous efforts to ensure its Interactive panel is as representative as possible. Individuals who registered were asked to provide personal information such as home state, age, and political party to Zogby, which in turn examined that data and contacted individuals by telephone to confirm that it was valid.

As for the specific contention that interactive political polls by Zogby include “self-selected” political junkies skewing polls for fun and one-upmanship, such an opinion is badly misinformed.

Respondents at Zogby do not choose to take part in a poll, they are chosen at random by Zogby from a database of hundreds of thousands, much like the database of millions across the country who have telephones. Zogby Interactive respondents self-select which poll to participate in about as much as a person with a telephone could choose to call up Zogby and ask to be part of a poll - in other words, it doesn’t work that way.

Further, Zogby telephones about 2% of respondents who completed the interactive survey to validate their personal data. To solicit participation, Zogby sent e-mails to individuals who had asked to join its online-polling database, inviting them to complete an interactive poll. Interactive Polls are supplemented by phone polls when needed. This is done to ensure proper demographic representation, especially among hard to reach groups. The Interactive database is sampled whenever possible in order to keep responses fresh.

Does this keep people from mis-representing themselves in online surveys? No, just as a person-to-person survey interview over the phone does not prevent a respondent from lying about their true feelings on a given subject. But Zogby Interactive’s samples are designed to anticipate that eventuality. It is a factor that Zogby has contemplated and continues to work to counter.

Zogby understands that the technology is constantly changing and is prepared to meet that challenge. Technology in the 2004 Presidential campaign was miles away from technology in the 2000 Presidential Campaign, and we expect the 2008 campaign to be impacted by this change as well. Zogby will continue to the lead the way on new technologies while keeping our methodology as transparent as possible.