About us

Measurement, not persuasion

American Polling Company is a public opinion research firm. We ask people what they think, and we report what they tell us.

Why we started

American Polling Company was founded to serve campaigns, organizations, and people who want a clearer view of elections.

We started APC because we wanted more detail about respondents than we could find anywhere else. The logic isn't complicated: the more you know about who is answering, the better the predictions you can draw from what they say. A topline tells you where a race stands. The detail underneath tells you who is moving and why — and that is the part actually worth having.

So we went looking for that level of detail, and we didn't find anyone offering it. We were confident we could build it, so we set out to. That's the whole origin of the firm — less a gap in the market than a gap in the resolution.

What we do

We design and field surveys that measure public opinion — how voters see the candidates, the issues, and the direction of things. Our work is quantitative survey research: a defined population, a sample drawn from it, a questionnaire written to avoid leading anyone, and results reported with their limits clearly stated.

Good polling is mostly a discipline of not fooling yourself. Question wording, sample composition, and the order things are asked in all move numbers, so we treat those choices as part of the finding rather than details to tidy up afterward.

How we survey you

We reach people by text message — an invitation with a personal link. Here is exactly how it works and what we do with your response.

You get an invitation with a personal link, and at most two reminders. Each message identifies us by name and links to the questionnaire — one to three messages per survey wave, and that is the whole of it. We will never ask you to buy anything or to transfer money. We are only interested in your opinions.
Answering is voluntary, and so is stopping. You can ignore the message, close the survey partway, or reply STOP to stop hearing from us.
Your identity is confidential and answers are reported in aggregate. Results are reported as totals and breakdowns by group — the shape of opinion across a population, not a file on you. Please read our Privacy Policy to see what we collect and how it is handled.

The one other way you might hear from us is if you gave us your number on our contact form and ticked the box asking us to. That is a direct opt-in, separate from any survey sample, and you can withdraw it at any time.

Go to the contact form

What we don't do

Plenty of text messages that look like a poll are something else wearing a poll's clothes. We think the distinction is the whole business, so we'll be plain about it. American Polling Company does not:

advocate for any candidate, party, campaign, or ballot measure
solicit or process donations, or recruit volunteers
sell you anything, or pass your phone number to anyone who will
ask you to transfer money, enter banking details, or share any other financial information
run “push polls” — messages built to change your mind while posing as research

We are a research firm. A survey that is trying to move you isn't measuring you, and the numbers it produces are worth nothing to the client who paid for them.

Work with us

For polling pricing, methodology questions, or research inquiries, get in touch — we typically respond within two business days.