What's the deal with Rasmussen Reports?

[LuckyTheDog]

That poll is always -- always -- far more Republican-leaning than the other polls. What is the reason? When one poll is consistently so far off all the others, it makes me go "hmmmmmm."

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html

[Ron Green]

1. It's skewed far enough to the right to make people think the others are legit.

[robdogbucky]

2. I thought everyone knew this already

"Scott W. Rasmussen (born 1955 or 1956<1>) is an American public opinion pollster. He is the founder and president of Rasmussen Reports. He also co-founded the sports network ESPN, and is currently president of the Methodist Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, where he resides...

...Rasmussen's polls are notable for their use of automated public opinion polling, involving pre-recorded telephone inquiries. These types of polls have been shown to produce accurate results at low cost. But some have doubted their reliability. In 2004 Slate magazine said they “publicly doubted and privately derided Rasmussen” polls because of the methodology. However, after the election, they concluded that Rasmussen’s polls were the most accurate...

...As of 2009, Scott Rasmussen is the President of Rasmussen Reports. He describes himself as having "been an independent pollster for more than a decade" who "ike the company he started, <...> maintains his independence and has never been a campaign pollster or consultant for candidates seeking office". The Center for Public Integrity listed his firm as having been paid $95,500 by the Republican National Committee and $45,500 by the George W. Bush presidential campaign in 2003-4...

...Republicans often use his polling to make their arguments. “Republicans right now are citing our polls more than Democrats because it’s in their interest to do so,” Scott Rasmussen said. “I would not consider myself a political conservative — that implies an alignment with Washington politics that I don’t think I have..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Rasmussen#Polling



A dyed in the wool fundie right wing idealogue.






Just my dos centavos


robdogbucky

[Birthmark]

3. They oversample Republicans

It's as simple as that really.

[MidwestTransplant]

4. His polling creates the narrative that Fox News and Republicans want to push. He recently had a

large investment made in his firm by an undisclosed person. Then he does TONS of polling which always favors Republicans. Polls way more than anybody else so it skews the numbers (or he is the only one to poll given races, etc.). All an effort to push a narrative. When elections come he will be more mainstream and will change his sample to make it realistic so that his end results aren't totally off. In the meantime he can be way off with no repercussions.