GATOR is Gates Polls specialized Public Opinion Tracking system, it allows for exceptional control of sample management, questionnaire administration, seamless handling of skip patterns, data quality checks, and data processing in any sector.
Gates Polls pollsters usually undergo an extensive in-house training before they can serve as researchers and telephone interviewers. Training includes discussion of the protection of human subjects and GATOR Public Opinion Tracking system. Prior to the start of every study, interviewers are trained and briefed on issues specific to a particular project. Each question is reviewed to promote interviewer consistency. Throughout data collection, strict data quality control procedures are maintained. Field supervisors continually monitor the interviewers and incoming data using both aural and visual validation methods. Each time an interview is monitored, a supervisor/coach provides immediate feedback to encourage growth and success. Online evaluation forms are completed by supervisors/coaches to assess interviewers on specific aspects of the data collection process. In addition, all calls are recorded and stored on a high-security server.
Post data collection, raw data from face-to-face; mail; online and cell phone surveys are extracted, cleaned, and combined for balancing to population parameters and analysis using a suite of data management and statistical packages. Gates Polls post-stratifies and balances its data to reflect Nigeria Bureau of Statistics results for age, gender, income, race, and region.
Data is typically reported for adults as a whole (topline), as well as by subsets of interest (e.g., age, race, gender, political party affiliation, income, education). For studies including hypothetical candidate preference questions, results may be reported for registered and/or likely voters.
Error margins are reported for topline data and key subsets. The error margin is not adjusted for sample weights and increases for cross-tabulations.
Gates Polls adheres to and encourages industry standards of methodological transparency. Please feel free to contact us if you have additional questions about our methodology.