ABSTRACT
Survey research has significantly shaped contemporary views of publics and their opinions. The choice of population to study influences many other survey design decisions. Computerizing both survey sampling and analytic techniques made surveys far more efficient and cost-effective. The most common methods of getting survey data from respondents are in person, by telephone, by mail, and over the Internet. In 1992 a well-respected survey research firm, the Roper Organization, fielded a national survey on attitudes of Americans toward the Holocaust Denial and its impact on Jews and on the subject of intolerance more generally. Survey research can be useful to explore social processes and to describe public moods and behaviors on a wide range of topics. Focus group interviewing is one popular method for examining interpersonal dynamics in public opinion. Content analysis is an "unobtrusive" or "nonreactive" way to measure public attitudes.
