someone please help out with polls.

[kentjay]

when reading the results of a poll,say 1000 people,is this nation wide or is it within a certain state or voting district.if these polls are national polls we are screwd.

[OzarkDem]

1. Depends on the poll

do you have an example?

[kentjay]

2. for instance,i read a poll in the washington

post on the house races.where does that info come from?the state,national,etc.

[SlipperySlope]

3. what poll are you talking about?

specifics please...

[TheVirginian]

4. I think you're referring to generic Congressional ballot polls

Usually, a poll that samples at or over 1,000 people is a national poll. If they're asking for which party they plan on voting for, its called a "generic ballot" test. The poll is a random sample which any Congressional District has the same liklihood of being polled.

Generic ballot tests aren't helpful for indicating who's going to win a House race, or even who's going to win control of a chamber, because they're not specific enough to apply it to any one race. They are useful, however, in judging the current mood of the country.

National polls usually poll 1,000 people. Statewide polls usually fall between 400-600 people, while Congressional districts usually poll 250-400 people. Of course, each different pollster uses a different methodology, but these are typically the sample sizes you'll see.

[kentjay]

5. thank you