The Rise of Presidential Polling: The Nixon White House in Historical Perspective

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Abstract
This article traces the institutional development of presidential polling of public opinion. We suggest that Kennedy, Johnson, and especially Nixon developed the institution of the presidency to include a “public opinion apparatus”—an operation that was centralized in the White House and devoted to assembling public opinion data and conducting extensive public relations activities. According to interviews with former officials and archival records, this apparatus had its roots in Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign, but during the Johnson and Nixon presidencies it developed into a regular and enduring institution for connecting presidential activity with public opinion.

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