WakePol has been getting asked by poll producers why we aren't doing more with their polls. To be honest, we're not a huge fan of polls but they do have their place. Anyway, for those interested here are links to the Triangle Community Coalition poll and a link to Public Policy Polling. Yes, they all say that Hillary is the front runner. Oh wait, wrong polls.

09/25/07 at 17:32
Regardless of whether you are a fan of polls or not, they are still news. And I think your readers would be very interested in the results. Not only do the polls tell you who is "winning" or "losing" but they tell you what the public is thinking on the issues at hand.

"Man on the street" interviews can only give you so much information, while public opinion polls gives you an accurate assessment of the attitudes of the entire survey.

If anyone is interested here you can find the results of our latest Raleigh City Council election poll http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/surveys/PPP_Release_091907.pdf

Also, find more analysis of the poll here http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/

Justin Guillory
Public Policy Polling

09/26/07 at 10:33
Public Policy Polling's numbers reveal just how uneducated the public is on this election, and how more coverage of it is needed. Respondents says they want impact fees to cover more of the cost of growth. They also say they aren't inclined to support candidates that get alot of money from real estate and developer interests.
Yet...Baldwin, Taliaferro and Craven still get high rankings. Talk about irony. It's apparent the people of Raleigh know what they want...but have no idea which candidates reflect that same view!

09/26/07 at 12:25
Hi,

I teach public opinion at NC State, and I was curious about your statement that "we're not a huge fan of polls". The N&O covers polls all of the time, for very good reasons. Polling is obviously both an art and a science, but I fail to understand this blanket rejection of valid information. Public Policy Polling has some of the best and most valuable information about the current elections, and since the N&O uses polls all of the time (it seems like the majority of Civitas Polls are reported; school bond polling was headlines; horse-race coverage of the 2008 presidential elections garners coverage, etc), the ommission of this particular poll strikes me as odd, and your response even more puzzling.