Elmo Burns Roper Jr. (July 31, 1900 in Hebron, Nebraska – April 30, 1971 in Redding, Connecticut) was an American pollster known for his pioneering work in market research and opinion polling, alongside friends-cum-rivals Archibald Crossley and George Gallup.
[3] In the 1936 presidential election, incumbent Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt was challenged by Alf Landon, the Republican candidate.
[5]The Literary Digest's presidential poll, which surveyed millions of people, predicted Landon to win.
[6] In the 1948 presidential election, however, Roper predicted Dewey to defeat the incumbent Democratic President Harry S. Truman.
He announced that his organization would discontinue polling since it had already predicted Dewey's victory by a large majority of electoral votes.
[7]: 42 He said that his whole inclination was to predict Dewey's victory by a heavy margin, and to devote his time and efforts in other things.
After leaving the OWI he founded the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at the Williams College in 1947.