Opinion polls touch on all aspects of modern life. They shape elections, entertainment, and what we buy at the supermarket. Obtaining polling data on specific issues is at times difficult. However, Polling the Nation from ORS and using SilverPlatter search software provides easy access to a wide range of poll information from surveys conducted by major polling and media organizations. Rather than sorting through periodical articles, users conduct pinpoint searches for specific questions and obtain results directly from the database. All patrons and librarians will find this database invaluable for many types of reference questions.
Polling the Nation uses SilverPlatter’s WinSPIRS version 2.1 software to access the database. The front‐end program runs on a range of platforms, including Windows 95 and NT, Macintosh, DOS, and UNIX. Both user and administrative manuals appear on the installation CD‐ROM. For this review, the program ran on an IBM compatible PC using Windows NT. Program installation is very simple, with ample online help available.
SilverPlatter’s well‐designed software provides simple and easy search of the Polling the Nation database. Coverage begins in 1986 and, for this review, closed in March 1998. Appearing in the database is information from polls conducted by polling organizations, broadcast media, publications, universities, think tanks, and related groups. The main search screen contains three parts, with icons for printing and downloading data and accessing search options and features clearly identified. Users enter search terms in the main search window at the top of the screen. Boolean connectors may be used for precise searching; and all fields of individual records are searchable. The center portion of the main screen contains a running search history, listing past search terms and results for each term.
The lower portion of the screen displays search results. These results may be displayed in two ways. The short version lists the subject heading assigned to the record, survey question, the organization conducting the survey, date that the survey was conducted, and record accession number. A long version contain all of the above information plus results of the question, survey universe, survey method, survey size, copyright information, and source address. Obviously, the result for particular questions is a very useful feature for answering questions on public opinion for various issues. Users move between the two result versions by click on the version icon appearing at the bottom of the screen menu. Records in either version may be marked for batch printing or downloading. Also, users may access the online index for selecting search terms.
Ease of use, currency and coverage recommend Polling the Nation to all public and academic libraries. The program nicely complements existing periodical indexes and full text databases. It will be a popular tool for individuals seeking public opinion information on a wide range of topics.
