Credibility of Newspaper Opinion Polls: Source, Source Intent and Precision

b Studies have shown a marked improvement in the reporting of public opinion poll stories in newspapers over the years.[ In addition, surveys of journalists suggest that journalists have adopted more favorable attitudes toward the application of survey research methods in journalism.* But d o newspaper readers evaluate precision poll stories as more credible than stories gathered through other methods? And if so, what factors enhance or mediate the credibility of published poll reports? This study reports the results of respondents' evaluations of the credibility of published poll stories. It examined whether the source of the information, the source's intent t o