The Measure of Democracy

Examining the origins and early years of public opinion polling in Canada, Robinson situates polling within the larger context of its forerunners – market research surveys and American opinion polling – and charts its growth until its first uses by political parties.

Daniel J. Robinson is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at the University of Western Ontario. His main teaching areas include advertising, broadcasting policy, opinion polling, and political communication.

'Nothing in the current literature compares with Robinson's study in its ability to identify the relationships between Canadian politicians, civil servants, marketers, and public relations specialists. The book provides a wealth of information unavailable to the average scholar in the field of Canadian public opinion studies, and at the same time it highlights the implications which polling presents to democratic politics.'

Professor Duncan McDowall, Department of History, Carleton University:

'Nothing in the current literature compares with Robinson's study in its ability to identify the relationships between Canadian politicians, civil servants, marketers, and public relations specialists. The book provides a wealth of information unavailable to the average scholar in the field of Canadian public opinion studies, and at the same time it highlights the implications which polling presents to democratic politics.'