Political Polls: Who do they ask, and how can I asked?

Question

I am aware of the fact that I live in Texas, and that political polling, at least concerning my state, is very unnecessary being as we are red to the core. However, there is a myriad of national polls out there - the president's approval rating, presidential candidate's standings, and things like that.

Where are these numbers coming from? Random phone calls? Is there actually a list of people that they ask? I want to be on that list. How does this all work and how can I be a part of it?

Answer 1

Joe, No, sorry.  no way you can volunteer to be polled. The best and most scientific polls are conducted by professional pollsters. They use either in-person polling, or telephone polling. The networks and newspapers also use "exit-polling" on election day, to ask voters coming OUT of the polling places questions, and get a feeling for how the people are feeling, and who they are voting for.

Almost no responsible polling company just uses "random" telephone polls anymore. No telling who they are calling, or who is answering the phone. Most big cities now have a huge number of people who don't even list their telephone number in the phone books anymore. Either they don't want any salesmen, or random callers to bother them; or, they now have cellular phones, so it is very very difficult to poll them today.

No poll is completely accurate. The best the polling companies can do is get a statistical "profile" that is weighted to insure the returns are the same percentages as the voting population (race, gender, age, social position, economic class, political party membership, etc. ) If they are VERY good pollsters, they can get a theoretical idea with several hundred telephone calls, for example, with a statistical "margin of error" of plus-or-minus 2 to 4 percent. Major companies can get pretty accurate with about 600 or so responses, as long as they ask the right questions, and get honest answers.

Also, they need to differentiate between ordinary adults over 18, and those who are 1.) citizens  2.) registered to vote and 3.) likely to vote, and 4.) know who is running and who they are likely to vote for (or are legitimately "undecided").

There are several good  books on polling and methodology and demographics and statistics. Several are easy to read and understand. Check with your local library for where to begin.

But, I can tell you that if you get a random telephone call today, with someone claiming to be a pollster, and wanting to ask questions, there is a very good chance that 1.) they are polling not for politics, but rather for commercial products and household items.  2.) they might be from one of the candidates or parties, or a political organization; they SAY they are conducting a poll. In fact, these are what are called "push-polls", where they ask questions, but they are worded in such a way as to get the response they want from the voter; they don't care what your opinion is--they want to TELL you, not ASK you what it should be, or who you should vote for.

I have been polled three times by phone. Only once was a legitimate political pollster. One was publicizing a local radio station; another was trying to influence your vote for a state proposition on the ballot. A third was (as far as I can tell), legitimate, and really asking legitimate questions. One other idiot said they were conducting a poll, but they were calling from North Carolina, and I live in California, and they woke me before 8 a.m. on my day off. No legitimate pollster would do that.

So, good luck. Maybe someday you will get a call. but the chances are sometimes one in a million. You never can tell.

Answer 2

frank lutz

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VOTE FOR HUCKABEE

Answer 3

oh ok

Answer 4

I have zero faith in polls and any statistic out there. They are in my opinion 100% propaganda. Any poll or statistic can be made to lie. For instance take 3 point 2 beer and 6 point beer, which beer is the strongest. If you guest 6 point beer then you would be technically correct; however, one is measured by volume an the other by content. The actual difference between the two is minute, while 6 point beer is technically stronger it is actually about the same as 3 point 2 beer differing only by about 4 tenths.