A who’s-who of pollsters and researchers are gathered in Boston for their annual conference today, and two thirds of Team Pollster are there to bring you the highlights. (The remaining third is back in DC, bringing you this newsletter.) This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Friday, May 17, 2013.

Most Americans don’t like the IRS, most Virginians don’t know anything about their candidates for governor, and AAPOR kicks off in Boston. This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Thursday, May 16, 2013.

IRS FAVORABILITY IS DEEP IN THE RED HuffPost’s Emily Swanson: “Following news that the IRS subjected conservative...

A low turnout election in British Columbia yields the sum of all pollster fears. In New Hampshire, which knows of such meltdowns, Hillary Clinton dominates yet another poll of Democrats. And Virginia Republicans divide on gay marriage. This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

POLLS MISS...

Without fresh survey data, pundits turn to political science and prediction to evaluate the impact of the week's new scandals. On Benghazi, Obama gets negative marks, but many remain tuned out. And could Sarah Palin rise again? This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Tuesday, May 14, 2013.

CONDITIONS RIPE...

Kelly Ayotte's job rating gets another look. Politico discovers Gallup's review of its methodology. And PPP is asking about "hipsters" by talking to registered voters on their landline phones. This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Monday, May 13, 2013.

TWO MORE CHECK'S OF AYOTTE'S RATINGS - Two new telephone...

It's a good time to ignore horse race numbers in Virginia, but a fine time to speculate about battleground states in 2016. Eliot visits Elliot, the most Democratic county in the U.S. And polling proves that Americans love their mothers more. Happy Mothers' Day! This is the HuffPost Pollster update...

Political data geeks rejoiced over the release of the biennial Census report on voter turnout, a report which shows black turnout exceeding white turnout for the first time ever -- or perhaps for the second time. Ed Markey's lead in Massachusetts looks bigger than it did last week. And, without...

Pollsters missed the South Carolina special election outcome by a mile. So...on to Virginia! And Pew Research confirms that off-year turnout advantages aside, Republicans continue to face an image deficit against Obama and the Democrats. This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Wednesday, May 8, 2013.

NBC/MARIST FINDS CLOSE RACE...

For South Carolina's election day, a lesson in comparative politics: In the U.S., politicos either obsess over the latest twitch in automated telephone polls or bemoan the "shockingly low barrier to entry" for pollsters. In Russia, prosecutors search the offices of a pollster whose results anger the government. This is...

A final PPP poll in South Carolina's 1st congressional district shows a near tie, but both the poll and the race have produced more far more speculation than data. And a Washington Post poll in Virginia that the Republican campaign was certain would be used to attack their candidate...shows him...

We close the week in Massachusetts, where a new PPP automated shows a close race and a student group at Emerson College is getting into automated polling. The new entrants are likely to fuel yet another debate about automated polling, party weighting and the seemingly futile search for best practices...

Today, HuffPollster takes a closer look at some surprising twists in allegations of 'push polling' in the South Carolina congressional race. PPP reports evidence of Democrats who voted for the gun bill faring better than Republicans in their states who voted against it. And consumer confidence is up, if you're...

Pew Research uses a simple question to reveal considerable public uncertainty about the immigration reform bill. Polls show public support for surveillance cameras but also worries that anti-terror efforts will go too far. Some House Republicans would end not just the ACS, but all economic indicators too. And -- surprise,...

New national surveys put the inattentiveness of the American public in the spotlight. Two polls show that few are closely following the conflict in Syria, though Americans would be more apt to favor intervention there if chemical weapons use is confirmed. Three years after its passage, Americans are still confused...

AP reports that black turnout was higher than white turnout in 2012...based on a lot of data, none of it new. PPP notes drops the job approval ratings of five Republican senators since the gun bill vote. And, yes, Twitter surveys are coming soon. This is the HuffPost Pollster update...

Selling immigration reform hinges on communicating 'requirements' for citizenship. Obama's 'Big Data' could be a big deal for Hillary in 2016, and survey census experts rise to defend the American Community Survey. This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Friday, April 26, 2013.

SURVEY EXPERTS DEFEND AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY -...

Dueling polls in Massachusetts, with a twist. It's a big day for data on social media, and social media data. And Frank Luntz gets snared by another David Corn secret recording. This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Thursday, April 25, 2013.

MA-SEN PRIMARY: MARKEY LEADS LYNCH IN TWO POLLS...

One poll finds little anger over the Senate gun vote while another shows a backlash against New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte. Both are probably right. And PPP goes where other pollsters fear to tread and triumphs...again. This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Wednesday, April 24, 2013.

POST-PEW POLL FINDS...

Americans are less negative about George Bush than they used to be. Nearly half followed the Boston Marathon bombings online or on smart phones. Polling bloggers quarrel with Politico's immigration analysis. And PPP is hoping that hanging up is the same as not voting in South Carolina. This is the...

Americans may be shocked by the Boston Marathon bombings and worried about future attacks, but their reaction pales to what they were feeling after 9/11. And a local poll in L.A. finds a clear front runner, while an automated survey at the center of a minor flap in D.C. has...