Which of the following methods of determining public opinion during elections is most reliable? A magazine's straw poll of reader opinions over a one-year period Door-to-door interviews in low-income neighborhoods An online survey of the social network users of a particular community A random sample of 1,000 people who are typical of the general population

1. **Understanding Representativeness:** Public opinion polling relies on selecting a sample that accurately reflects the larger population. A sample should be random and representative to minimize biases. 2. **Evaluating Each Method:** - **Magazines' Straw Poll:** This method uses opinions from magazine readers over one year. However, the readers of a magazine are not necessarily representative of the general public, and timing over one year can introduce additional biases. - **Door-to-Door Interviews in Low-Income Neighborhoods:** Although face-to-face interviews can yield detailed data, limiting the sample to low-income neighborhoods does not capture the diversity of the general population. - **Online Survey of a Particular Community:** While online surveys are efficient, surveying only users from a specific social network community usually produces a sample that is not representative of the overall population. - **Random Sample of 1,000 Typical People:** This method most likely employs random selection techniques to include a wide variety of individuals, minimizing biases. The randomness increases the probability that the opinions gathered reflect those of the broader population. 3. **Conclusion:** The method that provides the most reliable results for determining public opinion during elections is the one using a random sample of \( 1{,}000 \) people who are typical of the general population. \[ \textbf{Answer: A random sample of } 1{,}000 \textbf{ people who are typical of the general population.} \]