Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read Polls and Why We Should

Americans are preoccupied with political polls. In this book, John Zogby, one of America’s most prominent pollsters, offers readers a master class in understanding what polls can reveal about public opinion. He argues that those who focus only on the horse race numbers--who is leading and who is trailing--miss the many ways that polls can help us understand the fundamentals of the electorate at any given time. Illustrating his arguments from key political races of the last 40 years, Zogby shares true stories about how polls have been misused and when they have been well or badly. Beyond the Horse Race will appeal to campaign professionals and armchair political junkies who want to understand the art and science of accurately gauging public opinion.

John J. Zogby is the founder of the Zogby International Poll, and he serves as a senior partner at John Zogby Strategies, a full-service marketing and political consulting firm. Zogby has written weekly articles for Forbes, and he has contributed to a weekly ongoing presidential report card since the beginning of the Obama administration.