ABSTRACT
When George Gallup was a young man making his reputation as a political pollster, he met skeptics who “. . . thought we were an evil force which might lead the country straight to Hell-or direct democracy, which they regarded as equally terrifying” (Gallup 1957). Since then, survey methods have been refined, gained (sometimes grudging) respect, and had their applications broadened to include far more than prediction of presidential elections.
