A Journalist's Guide to Survey Research and Public Opinion Polls

Cliff Zukin

Cliff Zukin is Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute of Politics and the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Policy. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Heldrich Center and directs the graduate program in public policy at Rutgers.

Zukin received a Ph.D. in political science from The Ohio State University in 1978. He teaches graduate courses in survey research, research methods, public opinion, and data analysis. His research interests are in the fields of media, public opinion, and survey research. He recently published (with co-authors) A New Engagement? Political Participation, Civic Life, and the Changing American Citizen (Oxford University Press, 2006) and is a recent past President of the American Association for Public Opinion Research.

Zukin recently completed opinion studies on race and diversity and health care in New Jersey, and a project titled The Next Social Contract for the New America Foundation. He also serves on the editorial board of Public Opinion Quarterly, the leading scientific journal in the field, and works as a consultant for NBC News during national elections.