POLL METHODOLOGY
About the Minnesota Poll
Information about methodology, demographics of the respondents and a map of the geographic regions for this week’s Star Tribune/MPR News/KARE 11 Minnesota Poll.
The findings of this week’s Star Tribune/MPR News/KARE 11 Minnesota Poll are based on interviews conducted Sept. 16 to Sept. 18, 2024, with 800 Minnesota registered voters who indicated they are likely to vote in the November general election. The poll was conducted for the Star Tribune, MPR News and KARE 11 by Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy Inc.
Those interviewed were randomly selected from a phone-matched Minnesota voter registration list. Quotas were assigned to reflect voter turnout by county. The interviews were conducted via landline (20%) and cellphone (80%).
The margin of sampling error for this sample of 800 Minnesota likely voters, according to standards customarily used by statisticians, is no more than ± 3.5 percentage points. This means that there is a 95 percent probability that the “true” figure would fall within that range if all voters were surveyed. The margin of error is higher for any subgroup, such as a gender or age grouping.
The self-identified party affiliation of the respondents is 36% Democrats, 30% Republicans and 35% independents or other.
Sampling error does not take into account other sources of variation inherent in public opinion surveys, such as nonresponse, question wording or context effects. In addition, news events may have affected opinions during the period the poll was taken.
The demographic profile of this poll of likely voters is an accurate reflection of their respective voter populations. This determination is based on more than 100 statewide polls conducted by Mason-Dixon in Minnesota over the past 36 years – a period that spans eight presidential election cycles that began in 1988.
Readers can e-mail questions to matt.delong@startribune.com.
DEMOGRAPHICS OF POLL RESPONDENTS
POLL REGIONS
DFL Rep. Brad Tabke of Shakopee currently has a 14-vote lead over Republican Aaron Paul. The outcome of the recount and audit of one precinct could determine the balance of power in the Minnesota House.