Since Franklin Roosevelt's presidency, almost all U.S. presidents have employed private polls in some capacity. This book attempts to explain how presidential polling evolved from a rarely conducted secretive enterprise to a commonplace event that is now considered an integral part of the presidency. Robert Eisinger contends that presidents opt to gain autonomy by conducting private polls. They do not trust institutions such as Congress, the media and political parties, and their measurements of opinion.

"[A] pioneering book...illuminates the field with an inventive and rigorous research agenda." Brandon Rottinghaus, University of Idaho, Public Opinion Quarterly"[A] pioneering book...illuminates the field with an inventive and rigorous research agenda." Brandon Rottinghaus, University of Idaho, Public Opinion Quarterly"After Eisinger's book, it will be hard to write a history of the modern American presidency or of contemporary American politics without taking into account of how presidential policy making really gets done." Stanley B. Greenberg, CEO, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Reasearch and Pollster for President Clinton."Robert M. Eisinger's, The Evolution of Presidential Polling provides the single most comprehensive and clear exposition to date of the changing role of the presidential political pollster. He convincingly demonstrates that as presidents acquired a reliable and timely listening ear to the voice of the public, key power relationships between themselves and the Congress, the media, and the parties were permanently altered." Richard B. Wirthlin, Chairman, Wirthlin Worldwide"Robert M. Eisinger's, The Evolution of Presidential Polling provides the single most comprehensive and clear exposition to date of the changing role of the presidential political pollster. He convincingly demonstrates that as presidents acquired a reliable and timely listening ear to the voice of the public, key power relationships between themselves and the Congress, the media, and the parties were permanently altered." Richard B. Wirthlin, Chairman, Wirthlin Worldwide"Eisinger researches in impressive depth the use of pols from FDR through Clinton.... Recommended." Choice

The Evolution of Presidential Polling is a book about presidential power and autonomy. Since Roosevelt, virtually all presidents have employed private polls in some capacity. This book explains how presidential polling evolved as presidents sought to gain autonomy from the institutions that measure public opinion by conducting their own polls.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-208) and index.

Explains how presidential polling evolved.

1. Seeking autonomy: the origins and growth of presidential polling; 2. Planting the seeds of presidential polling; 3. Checks and imbalances: congress and presidential polling; 4. Dodging the hill: presidential polling in the post-Eisenhower years; 5. Take the money and poll: parties and the public opinion presidency; 6. The media are not messengers; 7. Counting the people: the evolution of quantification and its effects on presidential polling; 8. White House polling in the post-Watergate era; 9. Presidential polling in the post-Reagan era: consequences and implications.