National Public Opinion Reference Survey Npors Pew Research Center

Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World NPORS is an annual survey of U.S. adults conducted by Pew Research Center. Respondents can answer either by paper or online, and they are selected using address-based sampling from the USPS’s computerized delivery sequence file. Respondents are not required to join a survey panel. Pew Research Center uses NPORS to produce benchmark estimates for several topics, such as Americans’ political and religious affiliations

901 E St. NW, Suite 300Washington, DC 20004USA(+1) 202-419-4300 | Main(+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax(+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science research and other data-driven research. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder.

We use cookies and other technologies to help improve your experience; some are necssary for the site to work, and some are optional. Lean more in our privacy policy. A staggering 30% response rate. In an era where getting anyone to answer their phone, let alone participate in a survey, feels like a miracle, that number—the response rate of Pew Research Center’s National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS)—is... It signals a potential turning point in how we understand public sentiment, and more importantly, how accurately we can predict future trends. For years, pollsters have grappled with declining participation and increasingly skewed results, but NPORS offers a surprisingly effective solution, and its implications extend far beyond the world of political science.

For decades, researchers relied on methods like random-digit dialing (RDD) to reach a representative sample of the U.S. population. However, the rise of cell phones and the decline of landlines, coupled with a general distrust of institutions, have made these methods increasingly unreliable. Online panels, like Pew’s American Trends Panel (ATP), offered a cost-effective alternative, but they weren’t without their own biases. As Pew Research discovered, ATP estimates sometimes diverged significantly from established benchmarks, particularly regarding religious affiliation and political leaning. For example, the ATP consistently showed a higher percentage of religiously unaffiliated individuals than other high-quality surveys like the General Social Survey (GSS).

Launched in 2020, **NPORS** was designed to address these shortcomings. The key? A multi-modal approach. Unlike many polls that rely solely on online responses, NPORS allows participants to respond via paper mail, online, or telephone. This seemingly simple change has a profound impact. The paper and telephone options actively draw in demographics—typically more conservative and religious adults—who are less likely to engage with online surveys.

This broadened reach is further bolstered by a series of strategic incentives: visible cash payments included with survey mailings, priority mailing to distinguish the survey from junk mail, and a relatively short questionnaire (around... A higher response rate isn’t just about getting more answers; it’s about getting better answers. Lower response rates are more susceptible to nonresponse bias, where the characteristics of those who participate differ systematically from those who don’t. NPORS’ 30% response rate, achieved through these deliberate design choices, significantly reduces this bias, leading to more accurate and reliable estimates of public opinion. This is crucial for everything from political forecasting to understanding social trends. NPORS isn’t just a poll; it’s a “reference” survey.

This means it serves as a benchmark against which other surveys can be calibrated. Pew Research Center now weights its American Trends Panel (ATP) data to align with NPORS estimates for key demographics like political affiliation and religious identity. This process, similar to how the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) is used for calibration, ensures that the ATP data more accurately reflects the broader U.S. population. The advantage of NPORS over other reference surveys, like the ANES, is its timeliness – data is available much faster, allowing for quicker adjustments and more responsive analysis. This text details the Pew Research Center’s NPORS, a survey designed to improve the accuracy of estimates regarding Americans’ political and religious affiliations.

Here’s a breakdown of the key points: Purpose: To provide high-quality benchmarks for weighting other polls, specifically regarding political (Republican, Democrat, Independent) and religious affiliations. Previous Method: Previously, Pew used the average of results from thier cellphone and landline RDD surveys as a benchmark. Improvement over ATP: NPORS improves upon the earlier ATP (American Trends Panel) survey, which wasn’t weighted to benchmarks for religious affiliation and wasn’t used to estimate the overall share of religiously affiliated Americans. Data Collection: Conducted by Ipsos (2020-2023) and now by SSRS. NPORS achieves a higher response rate than typical polls through several key features:

Multiple Response Options: Allows responses via paper mail, online, or phone.This attracts more conservative and religious individuals who are less likely to respond to online-only surveys. Monetary Incentives: Offers cash incentives ($2 initial, $10 upon completion online; $5 visible bill wiht paper survey). Priority Mailing: Uses USPS Priority Mail for paper surveys, signaling importance and reducing the chance of being discarded as junk mail. Short Questionnaire: Keeps the survey concise (around 40 questions, 7 minutes to complete). Bilingual Materials: Provides surveys in both English and spanish in areas with significant Hispanic populations. No Panel Requirement: Doesn’t require respondents to join a survey panel.

“Reference” meaning: NPORS is designed as a “reference” survey,meaning it’s a high-quality survey used to calibrate and improve the accuracy of other,larger surveys. This concept is based on research in survey methodology. Comparison to other reference surveys: While not as large as the American Community Survey (ACS) or Current Population Survey (CPS), NPORS serves a similar function. This is an accepted version of this page The Pew Research Center (also simply known as Pew) is a nonpartisan American think tank based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world.[2] It also conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, random sample survey research, and panel based surveys,[4]...

The Pew Research Center states it does not take policy stances. It is a subsidiary of the Pew Charitable Trusts[5] and a charter member of the American Association of Public Opinion Research's Transparency Initiative.[6] In 1990, the Times Mirror Company founded the Times Mirror Center for the People & the Press as a research project, tasked with conducting polls on politics and policy.[7] Andrew Kohut became its director... In 2004, the trust established the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C. In 2013, Kohut stepped down as president and became founding director, and Alan Murray became the second president.[9] In October 2014, Michael Dimock, a 14-year veteran of the center at the time of his...

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