Dear Readers: We’re pleased to feature an excerpt from G. Elliott Morris’s new book, Strength in Numbers: How Polls Work and Why We Need Them. Morris is a data journalist at the Economist whose work has previously appeared in the Crystal Ball. In this excerpt, Morris addresses some of the...
Author: G. Elliott Morris
Two Ways of Thinking about Election Predictions and What They Tell Us About 2018
There are differences in method, accuracy, and probability between quantitative forecasting and ratings-based handicapping
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE -- Two approaches to forecasting -- one formally statistical, one rigorous yet flexible handicapping -- produce different tools that we can use to evaluate the battle for control of the U.S. House in the 2018 midterms. -- The Crystal Ball and other political handicappers use...