Considerations in conducting attitude surveys concerning bilingual education are discussed. An introductory section examines briefly the history of the controversy over bilingual education, legislative initiatives, and some previous opinion research. Specific kinds of information needs relating to public opinion are then noted and problems arising in such research are described. Two central issues examined are: (1) the need for comparable data that reflects opinions of local subpopulations as well as those of the larger population, and (2) elimination of bias in presentation of results, including accurate representation of their statistical significance. It is concluded that reliable information about community opinions, especially as to where and how much they differ from official, internal school district policy, is essential for successful program planning, development, and implementation. Definitions of common terms in bilingual education are appended, and a 54-item bibliography is included. (MSE)