As analysts continue sifting through the winners and losers of the 2012 campaign, one thing has become clear: online market research and polling has well and truly entered the mainstream.

When we launched Google Consumer Surveys back in April, we pledged to bring a fast, accurate, and affordable way to conduct market research. Over the course of the presidential race, we looked at voter preferences on issues, conventions, candidates, and even the outcomes of debates. Our service is powered by the voices of web users, like you, who answer anonymous polling questions.

So how’d you all do in your first election with us? Pretty spectacularly.

Nate Silver, of NYT’s FiveThiryEight blog - who many consider to be the ‘high priest’ of statistical polling data - concluded that Google Consumer Surveys was the #1 most accurate poll online and the #2 most accurate poll overall, surpassing many well-established and recognized traditional polls. Further, the Pew Research Center evaluated the tool in great detail said it will likely be an important addition to the research tool kit available to pollsters.

At the same time, your answers help support high quality websites that earn money from showing micro-surveys on their sites. Google Consumer Surveys run on top sites across the web. (For more on how the nuts and bolts of these surveys work check out this video). By answering questions, you’re helping to fund premium content - your favorite columnist, reporter, photographer, magazine or opinion-maker. These surveys support publishers such as Texas Tribune, Boone Newspapers, Digital First Media (Denver Post and other regional papers) and help to keep content online free.

But, political campaigns and publishers aren’t the only folks who are benefiting from Google Consumer Surveys. Academics, start-ups, non-profits and major consumer marketers are using the tool to improve their products, better understand their customers, and conduct detailed research.

With the holiday shopping season upon us, like a lot of you, we’ll be shifting some of our focus to helping understand consumer preferences around holiday gift buying. Taking what we learned from politics, we’ll work with marketers and partners to share trends and insights, and help our partners connect with their current and future customers.

If you can’t wait for our shopping-season results, why don’t you go ahead and run a survey of your own!

Posted by: Brett Slatkin on behalf of the Google Consumer Surveys Team