Polling Good or Bad? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Rekna · 10-08-2004, 07:01 PM

To me polling seems like a good tool but I think it is also very dangerous. For example right after the veep debate instant polling showed Edwards had won. Yet some networks started claiming that Cheny won. After a few days of hearing this delayed polls came out and a lot of those polls favored Cheny.

People like to bet on the winner. When a instant poll comes out and says that soandso is the winner people will believe it and it becomes a self fuffling prophecy. Thus future polls show that soandso won.

This is very dangerous especially when it comes to the persidency. These polling places could very easily change the outcome of the elections by saying one person is in the lead when he really isn't

Case in point perhaps polling for the presidency should be outlawed that way people have to make their own decisions and not make decisions based on what the media tells them.

elfuq · 10-08-2004, 08:01 PM

Of course what you see is both campaigns making enormous efforts to influence the instant polls. I believe that the RNC sent out an email today to its supporters asking them to click on certain web sites and vote in instant polls. The, more loosely organised, democrat organisation has been doing the same thing since the Dean campaign. Honestly, instant internet polls are <i>entirely</i> discredited.

stevo · 10-09-2004, 06:08 AM

All the internet polls are biased, as elfuq has demonstrated

Ramega · 10-09-2004, 06:55 AM

It's the Gallup polls that amuse me; here's why:

Have you ever been polled? Do you know anyone who has?

Who are they polling? Is it people who don't work who sit around their houses all day? I would think that you get some skewed results if that was your target population.

Gatorade Frost · 10-09-2004, 07:04 AM

The DNC sent this out the day before the first debates

I think all this will do is make them have a false sense of security. Every poll says Kerry's in the lead by a third of the points, but that's often because they're flooding the polls and they're voting several times.

Online polls should never be a source for any kind of information, especially in light of the fact that that's what people do.

My vote is - Bad

roachboy · 10-09-2004, 07:13 AM

it is in the general interest of the press to have a tight race for president.
polls are an important device in creating this.
polls are good for generating revenues for networks, good for increasing audiences for advertisers
but they are not so good for the rest of the population.

Rekna · 10-09-2004, 12:10 PM

I don't think the media should try and influence an election though. I think that in itself is wrong. People should make up their own decisions for an election and the media should be ok with that. If someone leads by 20 points then the other party needs to find another canidate. The media shouldn't try to help the other canidiate.

summerkc · 10-09-2004, 07:35 PM

I think polling and most of the media really effects the outcome of elections, as we have seen the liberal media in this election.

Seriously, the Today show had Kitty Kelly on that wrote the book saying that Laura Bush sold and used drugs, but John O'Neil, the author that wrote Unfit for Command, which actually had personal testimonials and documents never was asked on one talk show or news program.

Look how many stories there were on the news about President Bush's Guard record. How many on Kerry's very strange and flawed service?

As for the polling, exit polling is the worst, especially when the call states early in the night before the polls have closed. If you see that your candidate has already lost, why would you waste your time and vote for him?

sirhibernac69 · 10-10-2004, 09:30 AM

Polling is so unscientific in it's current state. How accurate can around 1000 voters be when representating over 250 million citizens opinions? And most of the questions asked for the polls are loaded questions anyway. I say if they can ask 1000 people in an hour to produce a poll for the day then they should ask over 10,000 people instead. Internet polling is useless because one person can vote several times. The media is also at fault for pushing out their multiple personal opinions. What ever happened to pushing out THE NEWS. I don't care what some Fox News, MSNBC, or CNN analyst has to say. Tell me what happened today around the wolrld and in the presidential race and leave it at that. Don't muddy the damn waters with "In my opinion..." That's not news. That's crap in my opinion.

CoachAlan · 10-10-2004, 10:45 PM

You know what would have been sweet? If you would have added a poll to this thread so that we could vote Good, Bad, or Not Sure.

Ahhh, irony.

10-08-2004, 07:01 PM	#1 (permalink)
Rekna Junkie	Polling Good or Bad? To me polling seems like a good tool but I think it is also very dangerous. For example right after the veep debate instant polling showed Edwards had won. Yet some networks started claiming that Cheny won. After a few days of hearing this delayed polls came out and a lot of those polls favored Cheny. People like to bet on the winner. When a instant poll comes out and says that soandso is the winner people will believe it and it becomes a self fuffling prophecy. Thus future polls show that soandso won. This is very dangerous especially when it comes to the persidency. These polling places could very easily change the outcome of the elections by saying one person is in the lead when he really isn't Case in point perhaps polling for the presidency should be outlawed that way people have to make their own decisions and not make decisions based on what the media tells them.

10-09-2004, 07:13 AM	#6 (permalink)
roachboy Super Moderator Location: essex ma	it is in the general interest of the press to have a tight race for president. polls are an important device in creating this. polls are good for generating revenues for networks, good for increasing audiences for advertisers but they are not so good for the rest of the population. __________________ a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear it make you sick. -kamau brathwaite

10-10-2004, 10:45 PM	#10 (permalink)
CoachAlan Psycho Location: Las Vegas	You know what would have been sweet? If you would have added a poll to this thread so that we could vote Good, Bad, or Not Sure. Ahhh, irony. __________________ "If I cannot smoke cigars in heaven, I shall not go!" - Mark Twain

10-08-2004, 08:01 PM	#2 (permalink)
elfuq Insane Location: San Francisco	Of course what you see is both campaigns making enormous efforts to influence the instant polls. I believe that the RNC sent out an email today to its supporters asking them to click on certain web sites and vote in instant polls. The, more loosely organised, democrat organisation has been doing the same thing since the Dean campaign. Honestly, instant internet polls are <i>entirely</i> discredited.

10-09-2004, 06:08 AM	#3 (permalink)
stevo Rail Baron Location: Tallyfla	All the internet polls are biased, as elfuq has demonstrated

10-09-2004, 06:55 AM	#4 (permalink)
Ramega Crazy	It's the Gallup polls that amuse me; here's why: Have you ever been polled? Do you know anyone who has? Who are they polling? Is it people who don't work who sit around their houses all day? I would think that you get some skewed results if that was your target population.

10-09-2004, 07:04 AM	#5 (permalink)
Gatorade Frost Rookie	The DNC sent this out the day before the first debates I think all this will do is make them have a false sense of security. Every poll says Kerry's in the lead by a third of the points, but that's often because they're flooding the polls and they're voting several times. Online polls should never be a source for any kind of information, especially in light of the fact that that's what people do. My vote is - Bad

10-09-2004, 12:10 PM	#7 (permalink)
Rekna Junkie	I don't think the media should try and influence an election though. I think that in itself is wrong. People should make up their own decisions for an election and the media should be ok with that. If someone leads by 20 points then the other party needs to find another canidate. The media shouldn't try to help the other canidiate.

10-09-2004, 07:35 PM	#8 (permalink)
summerkc Tilted Location: Indiana	I think polling and most of the media really effects the outcome of elections, as we have seen the liberal media in this election. Seriously, the Today show had Kitty Kelly on that wrote the book saying that Laura Bush sold and used drugs, but John O'Neil, the author that wrote Unfit for Command, which actually had personal testimonials and documents never was asked on one talk show or news program. Look how many stories there were on the news about President Bush's Guard record. How many on Kerry's very strange and flawed service? As for the polling, exit polling is the worst, especially when the call states early in the night before the polls have closed. If you see that your candidate has already lost, why would you waste your time and vote for him?

10-10-2004, 09:30 AM	#9 (permalink)
sirhibernac69 Upright	Polling is so unscientific in it's current state. How accurate can around 1000 voters be when representating over 250 million citizens opinions? And most of the questions asked for the polls are loaded questions anyway. I say if they can ask 1000 people in an hour to produce a poll for the day then they should ask over 10,000 people instead. Internet polling is useless because one person can vote several times. The media is also at fault for pushing out their multiple personal opinions. What ever happened to pushing out THE NEWS. I don't care what some Fox News, MSNBC, or CNN analyst has to say. Tell me what happened today around the wolrld and in the presidential race and leave it at that. Don't muddy the damn waters with "In my opinion..." That's not news. That's crap in my opinion.