British Public Opinion: A Guide to the History and Methodology of Political Opinion Polling by Robert M. Worcester
This book provides an historical overview of political opinion polling in Britain. It begins with the founding of the Gallup Poll in 1937, and gives a brief account of opinion polls until the beginning of the Thatcher era. It then proceeds to a detailed analysis of the influence and methodology of opinion polls in the 1980s, with particular reference to the two general elections of that decade. The book ends with a description of the mechanics and skills involved in taking polls, and a consideration of their effect on the democratic process and of the reasons why some people would like to ban them.