About the Author

G. Elliott Morris is a data journalist for the Economist, where he writes about American politics and elections. He lives in Washington, DC.

Reviews

"Poll-bashing is fashionable, but G. Elliott Morris astutely exposes why they go wrong and how to fix them—to reinvigorate our democracy. The book reads like a suspenseful whodunnit, tragedy and love-story for data. Packed with surprising history, fresh insights and wise reforms, this is a landmark work that everyone who cares about society and politics must read."
*Kenneth Cukier, co-author of The New York Times bestseller Big Data*

"In this lively story of the struggles and successes of polling from Gallup to the present day, Morris makes a convincing case that the measurement of public opinion is a key component of modern democracy"
*Andrew Gelman, Higgins Professor of Statistics, Columbia University*

"In this short, valuable guide, G Elliott Morris gives us a brief history of how polls came to play such an important role in politics, and how they work."
*Sam Freedman - The Guardian*

"A lively new book... Polling is flawed, and some of those flaws seem unfixable. But Mr Morris’s repeated refrain is that the critics of opinion surveys overstate their case. If you think polls can mislead, just try understanding the electorate without them."
*Tim Harford - The Economist*