I have read a bit about Polk’s methods, yes.
But the onus is not on me. I am not the one positing that SAD personally informed Polk that she was a student when she was not, and that Polk uncritically printed her lie without any crosschecking or verification.
As I said I don’t know how they collected their data in 1961. and since you chose not to divulge the secret Polk methodologies, I’ll approach it differently.
Question how did the entry for Ann S. Obama get into the 1961/1962 Polk City Directory?
To attempt to answer that we can look at the four entries of interest as they appear in various Polk Directories (provided by ladysforest):
1959/1960 - no Dunhams or Obamas listed.
1960/1961
Dunham, Stanley A (Madeline) mrg Pratt Furniture r6085 Kalanianaole
There is no entry for Stanley Ann Dunham, no separate entry for Madelyne
Obama, Barack H studt r625 11th Ave
1961/1962
Dunham, Madelyne L Mrs loan interviewer & escrow Bank of Hawaii r6085 Kalanianaole hwy
Dunham Stanley A (Madelyne L) mrg Pratt Furniture h6085 Kalanianaole hwy
Obama Ann S. studt r6085 Kalanianaole hwy
Obama Barack H studt r625 11th Ave
1962/1963
Dunham, Stanley A (Madelyne) mrg Craft Furniture 1427 Alexander apt 110
No Obamas
Next we look for possible Polk methodologies:
The 1952 Polk Directory for Kearney, Nebraska says it was complied by actual canvass.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nebuffal/krny1952/
The 1962 Polk Directory for Sarasota, Florida also says actual canvass.
I can see two possibilities:
1) the individuals themselves through actual canvassing.
2) their employers giving the Polk Directory the information.
Let’s assume number 2 since if the information was by actual canvass then we know the answer - SAD gave them the info.
Using number 2, we see that both Dunham parents info came from the employers (Bank of Hawaii and Pratt Furniture). The information for Barack Obama Sr. might have than come from the University of Hawaii. And that opens the possibility that the University of Hawaii also provide the information for SAD.
However I think it is much more likely the info came through actual canvass and therefore from SAD or her parents.
The problem for you is that her name is in there at all.