Polling data is the same contextual business intelligence that big brands use in their marketing activities, including advertising. The sort of data Manafort shared may have comprised the same types of information that advertisers covet when trying to persuade consumers to buy products. Polling data generally starts with simple demographic information about people, including age, gender, race, household income, education level and geographic location. As we learn in fits and starts in our digital age, the data that’s collected on us and from us — the type of data that constitutes polling data — is more detailed, more nuanced and often more invasive than we really know. We don’t yet know why Manafort allegedly shared this polling data.

Source: Washington Post January 12, 2019 14:15 UTC