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Polls: Data and analysis
The polling data is the more interesting part of the collection. It covers a broader area than simple election statistics. There is a great deal of demographic information, particularly regarding ethnic, religious and racial minorities, and much detailed public opinion polling on major issues. Both the demographic and opinion data is often broken down to the precinct level. Along with the data is a great deal of analysis regarding what the numbers meant, and how best to utilize the information in various campaigns.
The polling data can be divided into three sub-series, Romney material, Michigan material not related to Romney, and various outstate polls. Included in the collection is a detailed index to most of the Romney material. A few of Romney's national opinion polls, done for his presidential campaign, were not indexed. The Romney material is very rich, especially for the election of 1962. The non-Romney Michigan material consists primarily of work done for William Milliken, particularly his 1970 gubernatorial campaign. There is also a survey done for Robert Griffin in 1971 and a study regarding the attitude of state voters toward abortion in 1972. The outstate material consists of miscellaneous polls, many of which came to De Vries in his role as consultant for Market Opinion Research. Most extensive are the Bowles gubernatorial campaign in North Carolina, 1971-1972 and a national survey for the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment done in January 1975 and supplemented with a special analysis of Catholic respondents.