Research and the Presidential Election -  How We Know What We Know!
     By now you have been reading the book and you probably have read a couple of readings on the importance of research and the different ways you can do it. So far in class, you've learned about surveys,  experiments, content analysis, in depth interviews.  There are so many ways that you can go about answering a question about something that is taking place in the world.
     Let's talk about the election.  There is a tremendous amount of research being generated right now about the presidential election for several reasons.  The media wants to inform the public and so they will have researchers collect information about the candidates, their beliefs, what they have done since they have been in politics, and how Americans feel about them, among other things.  This information is used to help average Americans make a decision that will affect your lives.  That's why research is so important.
     I started doing research about ten years and I'm amazed by how much I continue to learn about the research process. I love to read about different types of research that has been done.  I always wanted to do market research, but never had the chance.  Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to become a researcher.  Have you ever though about a career in research?  There are so many interesting career options you can choose from in research:  from public health, to market research, from opinion polls, and political science.  Below, I listed a couple of links to some interesting websites that use research.  The first one has to do with the 2012 Presidential Election:
 http://www.hawkpartners.com/blog/2012-09-10/research-and-elections

The other link is to the NY1 website.  It is a news channel in NYC that I watch practically everyday.  The report that I am sending the link to is a public opinion poll of what New Yorkers believe NYC will be like in twenty years.  This specific report is about NYC sports teams in the next 20 years and the likelihood that they will win a championship, among other things:
20/20 Vision Report:
http://www.ny1.com/content/170369/20-20-vision--optimism-abounds-for-new-york-sports-fans
Data from survey (public opinion poll):
http://content.ny1.com/downloads/2020maristsportspollresults.jpg

I am also attaching the data so that you can see what the research looks like before it goes out to the public.  Check it out and if you want to comment, blog it out!