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Question 1

The famous 1936 Literary Digest poll surveyed over 2 million people but got the presidential result wrong. Who did it wrongly predict would win?

Accepted Answer

Alf Landon. The poll's huge sample was badly biased toward wealthier respondents, so Roosevelt actually won in a landslide.

Question 2

George Gallup correctly called that same 1936 election using how many respondents?

Accepted Answer

about 50,000. A much smaller but carefully sampled group beat a poll 40 times its size, proving sampling method matters more than raw numbers.

Question 3

Where was one of the first modern exit polls conducted, in February 1967?

Accepted Answer

the Netherlands. Exit polling — asking voters how they voted right after they leave the booth — became a global staple of election-night coverage after this.

Question 4

About how large is the global market research industry, which produces most surveys and polls?

Accepted Answer

about $150 billion. Market research is a sprawling global industry that includes everything from political polling to product taste tests.

Hello facts & stats

Going deeper

The famous 1936 Literary Digest poll surveyed over 2 million people but got the presidential result wrong. Who did it wrongly predict would win?

George Gallup correctly called that same 1936 election using how many respondents?

About how large is the global market research industry, which produces most surveys and polls?

Expert level

Where was one of the first modern exit polls conducted, in February 1967?