May 2006 Vol. 43 No. 09
REFERENCE
Social & Behavioral Sciences
REFERENCE
Social & Behavioral Sciences
A publication of the Association of College and Research Libraries
A division of the American Library Association
Editorial Offices: 100 Riverview Center, Middletown, CT 06457-3445
Phone: (860) 347-6933 Fax: (860) 704-0465
www.choicemag.org
A division of the American Library Association
Editorial Offices: 100 Riverview Center, Middletown, CT 06457-
Phone: (860) 347-
www.choicemag.org
43-5034 [Internet Resource]
Polling the nations. ORS. Annual subscriptions begin at $495.00 for up to 1,500 FTE or for 1 user.
The following review appeared in the May 2006 issue of CHOICE:
URL: http://www.orspub.com/
[Visited Feb'06] ORS previously published this material as a CD-ROM (1998 version, CH, Jun'99, 36-5425). The
contents came from the American Public Opinion Index (CH, Jan'84), a print index arranged by topic and survey
question, and American Public Opinion Data (1981- ) on microfiche. The current Internet resource covers 1986 to
the present, encompassing some 14,000 surveys from 1,000 survey organizations in the US and 100 other countries.
The reviews for the previous versions of these products were favorable. The issue is to what degree the Internet
format has provided added value. The answer is very obvious. The Internet permits a degree of flexibility not found
in the earlier modes. It is now possible to access more than 500,000 records with great speed, varying the names of,
e.g., the polling organizations, subjects, and year of coverage with a few keystrokes. Pollsters include universities,
newspapers, television news and Internet polling organizations, and special interest groups. Only surveys employing
random samples have been included (self-selected respondents are omitted). Searching, via Dropdown Lists or by
entering search criteria, is self-explanatory, but a Help feature is available for those who need it. The results can be
downloaded and/or sent to an e-mail address using the HTML format. This option works well and quickly. Other
features include All About Polling and a glossary. The former includes a brief history of polling and an explanation of
major concepts and issues. The emphasis is on the word brief; by any standards this section's level of coverage is
inadequate. The glossary section is worse. To limit all of polling to seven words and phrases is very misleading. The
actual results generated from a search include the polling question asked, the data, results, universe, method, sample
size, and contact information. These are the appropriate elements, and they are the heart of this database's value.
Apart from the need to greatly expand the areas mentioned above, this is a resource beyond compare in the polling
field. Given the complete acceptance of the Internet as the avenue for searching, this database should be on the
subscription list of colleges as the best single source for providing students with polling data.
Summing Up: Essential. All levels. -- G. R. Walden, Ohio State University
Polling the nations. ORS. Annual subscriptions begin at $495.00 for up to 1,500 FTE or for 1 user.
The following review appeared in the May 2006 issue of CHOICE:
URL: http://www.orspub.com/
[Visited Feb'06] ORS previously published this material as a CD-
contents came from the American Public Opinion Index (CH, Jan'84), a print index arranged by topic and survey
question, and American Public Opinion Data (1981-
the present, encompassing some 14,000 surveys from 1,000 survey organizations in the US and 100 other countries.
The reviews for the previous versions of these products were favorable. The issue is to what degree the Internet
format has provided added value. The answer is very obvious. The Internet permits a degree of flexibility not found
in the earlier modes. It is now possible to access more than 500,000 records with great speed, varying the names of,
e.g., the polling organizations, subjects, and year of coverage with a few keystrokes. Pollsters include universities,
newspapers, television news and Internet polling organizations, and special interest groups. Only surveys employing
random samples have been included (self-
entering search criteria, is self-
downloaded and/or sent to an e-
features include All About Polling and a glossary. The former includes a brief history of polling and an explanation of
major concepts and issues. The emphasis is on the word brief; by any standards this section's level of coverage is
inadequate. The glossary section is worse. To limit all of polling to seven words and phrases is very misleading. The
actual results generated from a search include the polling question asked, the data, results, universe, method, sample
size, and contact information. These are the appropriate elements, and they are the heart of this database's value.
Apart from the need to greatly expand the areas mentioned above, this is a resource beyond compare in the polling
field. Given the complete acceptance of the Internet as the avenue for searching, this database should be on the
subscription list of colleges as the best single source for providing students with polling data.
Summing Up: Essential. All levels. -
The following review appeared in the May 2006 issue of CHOICE:
