The Public Opinion Laboratory (POL) was created in 1982 to conduct a telephone survey at the request of the State of Illinois Department of Manpower Allocation. Since that time the POL has expanded its services to include mail surveys, web surveys, focus groups, in-person interviews, and mixed-methodology surveys and its telephone laboratory has increased to 55 interviewer stations. The POL is now part of the College of Liberal Arts and Science at Northern Illinois University. It currently has 11 professional staff members that are responsible for ensuring that each step of the research process is conducted in accordance with American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) standards.
The Research Focus and Recent Projects pages highlight POL's areas of specialization and showcase recently completed projects.