The Mason-Dixon Montana Poll was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. of Washington, D.C. for the Lee Newspapers from September 26 through September 28, 2006. A total of 625 registered Montana voters were interviewed statewide by telephone. All said that they vote regularly in Montana state elections.
Those interviewed were selected by the random variation of the last four digits of telephone numbers. A cross-section of exchanges was utilized in order to ensure an accurate reflection of the state. Quotas were assigned to reflect voter turn out by county.
The margin for error, according to standards customarily used by statisticians, is no more than plus or minus 4 percentage points. This means that there is a 95 percent probability that the "true" figure would fall within that range if the entire population were sampled. The margin for error is higher for any subgroup, such as a region or gender grouping.
SAMPLE FIGURES:
Men 310 (50%) Women 315 (50%)
REGION
Eastern Montana 55 interviews
Billings 125 interviews
Great Falls 105 interviews
Butte/Helena 160 interviews
Missoula/Kalispell 180 interviews
REGIONAL GROUPINGS
EASTERN MONTANA: Voters interviewed in Carter, Powder River,
Rosebud, Custer, Fallon, Prairie, Wibaux, Dawson, Garfield,
McCone, Richland, Roosevelt, Sheridan, Daniels, and Valley
Counties.
BILLINGS: Voters interviewed in Yellowstone, Treasure, Big
Horn, Carbon, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Wheatland, Golden Valley,
Musselshell, Petroleum, and Fergus Counties.
GREAT FALLS: Voters interviewed in Cascade, Meagher, Judith
Basin, Teton, Chouteau, Phillips, Blaine, Hill, Liberty, Toole,
Pondera, and Glacier Counties.
BUTTE/HELENA: Voters interviewed in Lewis & Clark, Powell,
Broadwater, Jefferson, Silver Bow, Deer Lodge, Beaverhead,
Madison, Gallatin, and Park Counties.
MISSOULA/KALISPELL: Voters interviewed in Missoula, Granite,
Ravalli, Mineral, Sanders, Lake, Flathead, and Lincoln Counties.
STATEWIDE NAME RECOGNITION
Do you have a favorable, unfavorable or neutral opinion of ________?
If the 2006 election for Montana’s U.S. Senate seat were held today, would you for:
- Jon Tester, Democrat
- Conrad Burns, Republican
- Stan Jones, Libertarian Party