Basic and practical information on how to do opinion surveys and how to apply the information gathered for use in student recruitment, public relations, and other advancement programs is presented. In addition, 12 sample questionnaires are included that have helped colleges and universities measure the opinions of alumni, students, faculty/staff, business leaders, local voters, and alumni magazine readers. The nature of opinion and attitude research and the basic types of surveys are discussed. Suggestions on selecting an opinion research organization are offered, and the types of services opinion research firms are offering are described. A brief checklist includes factors that academic administrators ought to consider in planning opinion research. Attention is also directed to the use of research to plan, monitor, and evaluate a public relations program in higher education, along with the use of a research matrix. In addition, a glossary of research terms is organized in five categories: types of research, approaches to research, research techniques, audience samples, and general terms. A list of reference sources concerning youth attitudes and a bibliography on public relations/market research are included. (SW)