Introduction
The National Network of State Polls (NNSP) is a confederation of organizations that conduct state-level surveys. Membership is diverse, consisting of more than 50 members from 38 states. The institutions that make up the network range from private research firms to large universities. Some members do only occasional state polling; others do several state surveys per year. The Survey Research Center at the University of Kentucky serves as the NNSP headquarters.
The purpose of the network is to promote the collection and use of state survey data and to develop a comprehensive archive of state survey data. The electronic archive of state survey data maintained by the NNSP is available through the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Odum Institute's Public Opinion Item Index, which allows researcher to identify questions used in different states to study a topic. The index displays the full question text and marginals for each item retrieved. Researchers can also obtain copies of complete survey data for further analysis. The NNSP Archive enhances researchers' abilities to examine state level survey data and to investigate the impact of different environments and contexts on public opinion. Although members are not required to share their state survey data with the NNSP, we strongly encourage them to make their material available to outside researchers through our data archive.
In addition to serving as a resource center for state level survey data, the Network publishes a NNSP Newsletter where state survey organizations can exchange information concerning both their methodologies and the results of their studies. Through the exchange members can learn about the effectiveness and impact of different survey techniques. Also, by acquiring information about conditions in other states, members are in a better position to analyze the results of their own surveys.
The NNSP originated in 1980 when representatives of six polling units met at the Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University, to discuss the possibility of coordinating their surveying efforts. One year later, another conference was held at the University of Kentucky to lay the groundwork for a more permanent structure and to discuss the development of a state survey archive. In 1984, the Network's headquarters were established at the University of Alabama, and the group changed its name to the National Network of State Polls. From 1991-2000 the headquarters was at the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and moved in 2001 to the Survey Research Center at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Ronald E. Langley serves as the chairperson.
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Updated 9-10-03