How We Do Things with Surveys: Recognizing Polls as ‘Speech Acts’ Will Improve the Science of Public Opinion

How We Do Things with Surveys: Recognizing Polls as ‘Speech Acts’ Will Improve the Science of Public Opinion

Authors: Michael A. Neblo, William Minozzi, & Jon Green

Project Description: By reframing survey responses as "speech acts" rather than mere data points, this paper argues that scholars can better understand the communicative intent behind public opinion polls and improve how we interpret survey data scientifically.

Keywords: Survey Research, Speech Acts, Public Opinion, Methodology, Political Communication

Link: Access Working Paper