What is a public opinion poll that measures a public's positive feelings about a candidate or politician?

• A. Benchmark poll
• B. Tracking poll
• C. Issue polling
• D. Favorability poll

Answer: (D)

This question tests understanding of what a favorability poll measures. Favorability polls focus on how positively people feel about a candidate or politician, usually asking respondents to rate them as favorable, unfavorable, or neutral. Because the prompt is about measuring positive feelings toward a candidate, this type of poll best fits that goal.

Benchmark polls establish an initial baseline for comparison with future polls, but aren’t defined by measuring positive sentiment. Tracking polls repeat questions over time to observe changes in opinions, yet their key purpose is tracking movement, not defining the sentiment type. Issue polling asks respondents about policy positions or issues rather than overall likability of the candidate.