Q&A: After misses in 2016 and 2020, does polling need to be fixed again? What our survey experts say

The 2016 and 2020 election cycles weren’t the best of times for public opinion polls. In 2016, many preelection surveys underestimated support for Donald Trump in key states. And last year, most polls overstated Joe Biden’s lead over Trump in the national vote, along with several critical states. In response, many polling organizations, including the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), the survey research field’s major professional group, have taken close looks at how election surveys are designed, administered and analyzed.