I keep hearing about internal polls, and so I wanted to know if it is better than public polls?
I keep hearing the phrase "internal polls" used to describe results that a candidate relies on. But aren't internal polls just surveys that a campaign takes and doesn't bother to release? Does anyone with experience in campaigns know if these use larger sampling sizes or different methodologies?
I have done work in market research, so I'm pretty familiar with random sampling methodologies and how size of sample can affect margins of error and confidence rates. But is there anything more special about internal polls that make them more reliable (or less) than the polls news organizations buy and report on?