• November 6, 2006

  Students move from classroom to polling in political science course



• For two hours just one week before the mid-term elections, a group of Iowa State students spent their evening talking about politics.
  
  And even though these students tend to be more interested and involved in political campaigns than most, the conversations were definitely one-sided.
  
  The students in "Campaigns and Elections," a course taught by James Hutter, associate professor of political science, polled a random sample of registered voters in a 4th Iowa Congressional District.
  
  Using the facilities at the Institute for Social and Behavioral Research (ISBR) at the ISU Research Park, the students conducted the "real" poll. Prior to getting on the phones, the students had to take and pass the human subjects review test and were instructed in polling procedures by ISBR staff members.
  
  The group utilized a survey the Department of Political Science used in 2003 shortly before the 2004 precinct caucuses. Significant changes were made in the new questionnaire to highlight the issues and races this year, including the Iowa governor's race and the race for the U.S. Congress in the 4th District.
  
  "The polling experience was exactly what we expected," Hutter said. "Most calls were not completed for a variety of reasons - no answer, answering machines, and some refusals. That is an important lesson in itself."
  
  But students did complete 45 interviews with eight students on the phones at any one time.
  
  "Talking to real potential voters on the phones and recording their answers through a computer assisted program was beneficial to the students," Hutter said. "The students were very good, very professional telephone interviewers."
  
  Although they analyzed their results, the 45 completed calls fell far short of the number needed for a scientifically reliable poll.
  
  "We completed just 45 interviews in two hours so the results cannot be treated as reliable," Hutter said. "While that is not bad it showed the students how difficult it is to complete the 800 to 1000 (surveys) needed for most polls."

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