While some consider public opinion polls critical to democratic accountability, others question the ability of today’s pollsters to accurately reflect the public’s preferences on issues and candidates.

The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research will host a virtual forum Jan. 21 to examine the future of polling. The event, at 6 p.m., is free and open to the public; registration is required.

A panel of polling, media and survey research experts will discuss what we can and should expect from public opinion polls. Panelists will examine the importance of polls for democratic representation, evolving survey methodologies and how the media is likely to use polls in the future.

The event will be moderated by Peter K. Enns, professor of government in the College of Arts and Sciences, executive director of the Roper Center, and co-founder and chief data scientist at Reality Check Insights.

The panelists will be:

• Jennifer Agiesta, director of polling and election analytics at CNN; Agiesta produces all the network’s polling and leads its Election Night decision team;
• D. Sunshine Hillygus, professor of political science at Duke University and director of the Duke Initiative on Survey Methodology;
• Scott Keeter, senior survey adviser at Pew Research Center and past president of the American Association for Public Opinion Research;
• Doug Rivers, professor of political science at Stanford University, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, and chief scientist and director of YouGov; and
• David Wilson, professor of political science and international relations, and senior associate dean at the University of Delaware.

Read the story in the Cornell Chronicle.