Survey design comes first: choosing a sampling method and writing questions that will produce statistically representative results, then conducting or overseeing phone, online, or in-person interviews. Pollsters run the resulting data through statistical software to find trends, crosstabs, and margins of error, then present findings and strategic recommendations to campaigns or media clients. Because results are scrutinized publicly and a wrong high-profile prediction carries real reputational cost, accuracy and defensible methodology matter enormously, especially close to an election.
Pros
Pay reaches $150k, particularly for pollsters with a strong track record of accuracy
Combines statistical rigor with real influence on campaign and media strategy
Mostly desk-based work, predictable outside of election and debate nights
Cons
A wrong high-profile prediction carries real reputational cost that can follow your career
Election-night and debate-night work extends into late hours monitoring live results
Above-average hours are common, especially in the run-up to an election
A typical day
Morning starts in the data: overnight survey responses have finished collecting, and the pollster checks completion rates and whether the sample skews too old or too rural before weighting it back to the electorate. Late morning is questionnaire design for a new client — arguing over whether a question's wording nudges respondents, because a single verb can move a result three points. After lunch comes the deliverable: turning crosstabs into a memo a campaign manager can act on, with honest error bars attached. The occasional evening is spent presenting results to a client who wants better numbers than the data will support — and holding the line.
Tasks at the job
Design survey instruments to measure public opinion on candidates, issues, or policies.
Select sampling methods and target demographics to ensure statistically representative results.
Conduct or oversee phone, online, or in-person polling and interviews.
Analyze data using statistical software to identify trends, crosstabs, and margins of error.
Present findings and strategic recommendations to campaigns, media, or clients.
Track shifts in public opinion over the course of a campaign or news cycle.
Workplace & working conditions
Work is primarily desk-based in an office setting, analyzing data on computers, though election-night and debate-night work can extend into late hours monitoring live results.
Results are often scrutinized publicly and can be politically consequential, so accuracy and defensible methodology carry real professional stakes, especially close to an election.
Education necessary or common
Bachelor's degree in political science, statistics, or a related field; a master's is common at senior levels