About the Winthrop Poll:

“Winthrop views the Winthrop Poll as a new element in its long-time tradition of service to South Carolina.”

-President Anthony DiGiorgio

“Given the rise of South Carolina to a place of prominence in presidential primary terms, data on evolving attitudes of citizens of the state will take on increasing importance in national terms.

-Dr. Scott Huffmon, director of both Winthrop’s Social and Behavioral Research Lab
and The Winthrop Poll initiative

The Winthrop Poll is a long-term survey initiative designed to keep public policy makers across the country in touch with the attitudes of South Carolina residents – and South Carolina residents in touch with the viewpoints that are dominant in their state at any given time. It is the only biannual “snapshot” of public policy attitudes of the residents of the state of South Carolina.

The first Winthrop Poll was conducted in the fall of 2006 from Winthrop’s computer-assisted telephone interviewing research lab during the first half of October. In the survey, 559 randomly selected South Carolinians age 18 and up were queried on a range of social and political issues. The results have a margin of error of plus/minus 4.14 percent, at the 95 percent confidence level.

Future surveys for the Winthrop Poll will occur each spring and fall, concurrent with Winthrop’s academic calendar. The Winthrop Social and Behavioral Research Lab conducts five or more polls annually, some under contract to various public and private sector organizations, and some for academic research purposes.

The Winthrop Poll also integrates students into the process, offering them the opportunity to gain guided, hands-on experience in a real-world social and behavioral research environment, integrating sampling theory and methodology, professional calling techniques, computer-aided telephone interviewing technology, and post-survey results analysis.