Continuing with responses from pollsters who do not typically report party identification in online releases to explain that policy. Today we hear from Larry Hugick of Princeton Survey Research Associates, the firm that conducts the Newsweek poll:
The reasons why party ID figures for the Newsweek poll haven’t been routinely released in the past is straightforward. From the very beginning, the releases have included only substantive questions, not demographics and other "background" questions like party ID. I suspect this was done initially because of space considerations and the poll’s quick turnaround schedules. This policy has been followed through the 2004 election. To my knowledge, there has never been a Newsweek poll release that dealt specifically with the findings of a party ID question (although we have covered related topics like party image.) But we have always made the results of the party ID, demographic and other background questions available on request.
Until relatively recently (I’d say since the 2000 presidential election) we haven’t had all that many requests for party ID numbers. But like PRC [the Pew Research Center], in light of the current demand for this information, we will begin routinely including it on the topline documents released for each Newsweek poll. We often release UNWEIGHTED party ID figures in reporting the bases for subgroup breakdowns and it is frustrating to see them misinterpreted so often. Even before your request, we were considering making this change.
And thank you Newsweek/PSRA! More responses will follow over the next few days.
P.S. Sorry for the infrequent posts the last few days. Some days, alas, my day job comes first…
Party Disclosure Archive (on the jump)
