Inform, influence, evaluate: the power of state public opinion polls.

Politicians use public opinion polling data if the data are available to them. Most of these data are from national polls and do not allow for state-level analysis. One promising strategy for informing elected state officials about health issues is to administer public opinion polls at the state level. Combined with health assessment surveys, public opinion data provide a powerful tool for health policy development. This Report reviews one regional foundation's efforts at providing public opinion poll data at the state level and the results of these efforts.