Why do we still think polls are accurate?

You do realize polls only account for people who answer polls? When you get a call on the phone and it is a poll, do you stay on the line? So the only people they are asking questions of are shut ins and do not represent the average person. Okay, I know you may get a call on a day where you have time, are in a mood, and you dont just want to go back and sit in the shade instead.

Yet still you get this group or that group quoting this poll or that poll. Bet we cant even discuss this matter and find correction without a brawl breaking out by page 2, because we will focus on what side did it worst.

a reply to: Hippyfrog

The worst ones are the ones that claim "Most Americans".

I'm pretty sure you'd have to ask atleast 300 million people to get an accurate assessment.

Let's have a poll on how crappy polls are.

They never call me...

We like polls when it fits our agenda. Or like using them to sell fake news like CNN does.

a reply to: Hippyfrog

I studied various levels of statistics courses at university...so no, polls are NEVER accurate...but they can be very biased.

Speaking of which, don't use the word "WE" in your title...unless your thread is aimed at the people who need to read statistics for dummies handbook

a reply to: Hippyfrog

In the end its a double edged sword. Whether you want a favorable outcome or not, construeing them can alter the final result either way.

They're almost a moot point.

If you have to research a polls bias.

It's not really a poll. It's a survey.

I think believing in polls, started years back when our government found out a way to sway people to their side. Most people don't want to be left out. So questions were responded to by a fraction of the people, and all of a sudden that is how all the people thought. As we can plainly see with the last election, it is all a fraud. Who would have guessed that Donald J. Trump would be the one to expose it in all of it's glory.

Who's we?

When did you even start thinking they were accurate??

a reply to: Hippyfrog

Polls are even worse than individual people for telling the actual truth.

I don't trust either of them.

I do those icitizen polls on Facebook all the time lol

originally posted by: Hippyfrog When you get a call on the phone and it is a poll, do you stay on?

The only calls I'm getting lately are from a very enthusiastic lady that tells me since I stayed at one of their resorts recently, I'm entitled to save on a time share property as soon as I give all my information to the Nigerian Royal Family so they can transfer millions of dollars to my checking account.

Hold on...there's someone at my door...

Well what do you know...it's the US Census Bureau here to violate my 4th and 5th amendment rights!! YAY!!

Polls are for 4 out of 5 idiots. However, 8 out of 10 morons will agree they're valid.

Polls when conducted well tend to be accurate. The exit poll at the last UK election being a good example.

The problem is that there are many bad polls with too small or badly chosen samples sizes. Or that use poorly worded questions.

Also even when polls are accurate they are often misrepresented. A poll saying X is going to win by 1% with a 3% margin of error isn't wrong if You wins by 1%.

I take no heed of polls.

Polls can be faked to manipulate the sheep voters into following a fake herd.

Polls are just hearsay. Basically, it's just a bunch of people you don't know telling you that another bunch people you don't know have expressed a particular opinion.

Why do we still think polls are accurate?

Do "we"?

"We" would include me, but the last time i maybe "believed" to such a crap was when i was 13, 14 oder 15.
When my head was full only of thoughts about girls, BMX riding, Rap music and nothing else.
But then i started thinking, after my adolescent phase...

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what the majority of this group or that group believes. What really matters is what IS.

Polls are nothing more than a media political tool to ensure they can trap as many mental midgets as they can in their group-think trap.

It's just another method of collectivism to ensure it keeps that beachhead.

Trump likes to read the polls. Perhaps you should too....

www.realclearpolitics.com...

a reply to: Hippyfrog

I could explain to you statistics and statistical sampling and why it works even despite what you said but I don't feel like you care.

Will you lot shut up!!! I get paid to do polls. Anyone that believes general polls are an idiot. Now targeted polls are another mater. Say you want to get lifestyle info about diabetics, you target poll only diabetics.
As for a general poll it all comes down to who and where you poll. ie. if you ask people if they voted democrat and asked in a safe democratic majority area you know what the result will be. Then you push the information that the majority of people would vote democrat. Which would be true. But they don't tell you where they do their polls so it's quite easy to skew polls. So don't believe any of them. Besides it's only jobs for the media boys.