Veteran Pollster John Zogby’s Newest Book, Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read Polls and Why We Should, Takes Readers Behind the Scenes of a Mysterious Industry
Described by Booklist as a “timely read for the politically inclined,” the latest book from John Zogby, one of America’s most prominent pollsters, offers readers a master class in understanding what polls can reveal about public opinion.
Americans are preoccupied with political polls. In this book, John Zogby, one of America’s most prominent pollsters, offers readers a master class in understanding what polls can reveal about public opinion. He argues that those who focus only on the horse race numbers—who is leading and who is trailing—miss the many ways that polls can help us understand the fundamentals of the electorate at any given time. Illustrating his arguments from key political races of the last 40 years, Zogby shares true stories about how polls have been misused and when they have been used well or badly. Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read Polls and Why We Should will appeal to campaign professionals and armchair political junkies who want to understand the art and science of accurately gauging public opinion.
Early reviews are in and here is a smattering of what some influencers have had to say:
John Zogby is offering us a fascinating tour of the back office of modern polling. We all will be wiser consumers of polls after reading this fascinating book.– John Hamre, President of the Center for Strategic & International Studies and former Deputy Secretary of Defense
John Zogby is the most inventive and perceptive pollster I know. When we see ‘Walmart voters,’ ‘Investment Class voters,’ and others, we immediately know who they are. Reporters like me rely on his numbers and analysis to answer the simple question, ‘Why?’ While critics say the sun is setting on polling, In Beyond the Horse Race, Zogby explains why data is more important than ever and taps his 40 years in the business to tell us how best to read it and use it. Like every Zogby Poll, this is a must read!— Paul Bedard, Washington Secrets columnist for Washington Examiner
Lots of people talk about polls, but few actually understand how they work and how they should be used. John Zogby is a veteran who does, and this clear and compelling explanation should be required reading for anyone who really cares about polling.– Gerald F. Seib, former executive Washington editor and Capital Journal columnist for The Wall Street Journal
Zogby draws from his vast experience as a pollster to critique the polling industry with professionalism and wit. He tells us how polls are used, abused, misinterpreted, and misapplied. He claims that the polling industry is misunderstood – and he is right. His personal insights into the polling profession help us understand the value of polling and how it promotes our democracy. Zogby takes us on an enjoyable ride into the mysterious art of polling.— Kenneth Warren, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science, Saint Louis University, President, The Warren Poll
This book could not be more timely as another presidential election looms and opinion polls are both devoured and demonized. John Zogby, who has spent decades at this, reminds us that pollsters are human too – creative, fallible, resourceful, proud when they get it right and embarrassed when they don’t.
Zogby’s book is a fluently written attempt to demystify the art and science of polling and characteristically accessible to the non-expert. He knows that good polls go well beyond the horse race and offers a fascinating insight into why groups such as Weekly Walmart Shoppers, Investor Class, NASCAR Fans and The Creative Class can hold the keys to the White House.
Zogby is a registered Democrat who has polled in 80 countries. From his controversial Zogby Interactive Poll to his insistence that the 2016 election polls were right and the pundits were dead wrong, he is not afraid to rattle cages. He is also disarmingly honest about moments when he got it horribly wrong. With pollsters under scrutiny as never before, this insider’s cri de coeur is essential reading.— David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief, Guardian News and Media
Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read Polls and Why We Should, is available on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, or directly from the publisher, Rowman & Littlefield.
Contact: john@johnzogbystrategies.com
