Abstract

Surveys continue to be the most common research tool in American politics. Yet, there are normative, ontological, and conceptual concerns that render these techniques incomplete, especially when deployed in the study of marginalized people.

This article argues that survey research is limited mainly in the study of race, gender, sexuality, and class because it fails to capture the intricacies of political life. Furthermore, the general exclusion of marginalized voices in survey research represents a major concern for the veracity of our findings.

In response, I suggest three recommendations to help political scientists extend survey methods and tell more comprehensive stories about the political experiences and attitudes of marginalized people.

I contend that political science departments must make qualitative methods required training for graduate students; political scientists must engage in feminist methodologies in building their research agendas; and researchers studying marginalized people must engage in multimethodological research approaches that provide context and detail about the lived experiences of vulnerable people.