Quinnipiac University Polling Institute

History

The polling operation began informally in 1988 in conjunction with a marketing class. It became formal in 1996 when the university hired a CBS News analyst to assess the data being gained. It subsequently focused on the Northeastern states, gradually expanding during presidential elections to cover swing states as well. The institute is funded by the university. Quinnipiac University is widely known for its poll; the publicity it has generated has been credited with increasing the university's enrollment.

In 2007, Quinnipiac University Poll underwent construction of a new two-story building that was expected to double its available capacity to 160 calling cubicles. The purpose of the capacity expansion was to allow polling multiple states at once, rectifying a problem that arose during the 2006 Connecticut Senate election where other polls were canceled to support that poll.

The poll has been cited by major news outlets throughout North America and Europe, including The Washington Post, Fox News, USA Today, The New York Times,{{Cite news | last = Kapochunas| first = Rachel | title = Poll Tests ‘New York-New York-New York’ Race in Ohio

Politico reported in 2018 that "much of Quinnipiac’s prominence in the field is also a result of its commitment to self-promotion." The publication pointed out that the poll "reports to the university’s public-affairs office, not any academic wing of the school," and that for many years the poll employed New York publicist Howard Rubenstein and prominent journalists to promote the poll.

Methodology

The Quinnipiac University Poll conducts polling through random digit dialing with live interviewers. Polls utilize 100-200 interviewers consisting of university students and Hamden residents, dialing both landlines and cell phones. Phone numbers are obtained from market research company Dynata. In the event of a missed call, Quinnipiac attempts four call-backs. If a household with multiple members is reached, interviewers ask to speak to the individual with the closest upcoming birthday as a quasirandom within-household selection method. Polls are typically conducted over a five-day period and aim to gather a random sample of about 1,500 respondents.

Responses to polls are weighted with US Census demographic data, adjusting for the variables of age, education, gender, race, and region.

Quinnipiac University polls target American adults aged 18 and over. For political polling, Quinnipiac identifies registered and likely voters from screening questions. The poll emphasizes results from surveys of likely voters when approaching election days.

References

References

1. "Quinnipiac University/Poll: Polls". [[Quinnipiac University]].
2. Silver, Nate. (2021-03-25). "Pollster Ratings - Quinnipiac University".
3. Shepard, Steven. (2017-12-12). "The Poll That Built a University".
4. Lieberman, Brett. (April 9, 2007). "Behind the scenes at the Q-Poll". [[Patriot-News]].
5. Weinreb, Michael. (December 26, 2007). "New Quinnipiac Coach Is Expected to Build a Winner". [[The New York Times]].
6. LaCruz, Donna. (October 31, 2006). "Polls: Menendez Leads Kean in N.J. Race". [[Washington Post]].
7. (August 17, 2006). "Poll: Lieberman Leads Challenger Lamont in Connecticut Senate Race". [[Fox News Channel]].
8. (May 21, 2010). "Quinnipiac Poll: Giuliani still leads GOP hopefuls, but by much less". [[USA Today]].
9. Boyette, Chris. "Poll: Majority of New Yorkers approve of NYPD surveillance of Muslims". CNN.
10. Sullivan, Andy. (Jun 26, 2008). "Obama leads in four battleground states: poll". [[Reuters]].
11. Lapidos, Juliet. (October 16, 2008). "What's With All the "Quinnipiac University" Polls? How an obscure school in Connecticut turned into a major opinion research center.".
12. Tanenbaum, Andrew S.. (November 9, 2010). "Analysis of the Pollsters". [[Electoral-vote.com]].
13. (5 November 2010). "Rasmussen Polls Were Biased and Inaccurate; Quinnipiac, SurveyUSA Performed Strongly". [[FiveThirtyEight]].
14. (February 18, 2024). "While other pollsters pivot online, the CT-based Quinnipiac Poll is standing by its phones in 2024". CT Insider.
15. "Methodology". Quinnipiac.