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Mini Poll: Margin of Error
 A poll is a survey of what people think or believe about a topic or question. At the very least, pollsters attempt to measure what people are thinking at the time of the survey. At the more ambitious end of their efforts, pollsters try to predict how people will behave - purchase, view, or vote - at some time in the future.
It is pretty clear to most people, including pollsters, that polls can sometimes be wrong. Nobody drank New Coke. Dewey did not defeat Truman. Edsels went unpurchased. Barrett did not stay close to Walker. But, polls can also be useful in measuring and predicting consumer behavior and in providing valuable information about voters' opinion on candidates and about which issues are pushing the electorate.
This year's battery of political polls have already attracted sharp criticisms, fierce defenses, and a great deal of attention. Skeptics who complain about polls' accuracy mention the increased number of cell-phone-only respondents; the practice of early voting; and the so-called Bradley Effect. Yet, polls, including political surveys, have an excellent record of being correct.
This week's Mini-Poll surveys your opinion about polls, particularly political ones.
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