Have you ever been polled?

[Mattforclark]

Poll question: Have you ever been polled?

Not a poll like this one, but a real poll. A 'scientific' poll, ya know?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. I always wonder...

who the fuck DOES get called for these things??

[mobuto]

10. Most people probably don't know

I've done polling for candidates, on occasion, and 98% of the time (that's actually a real number) the person who answers the phone hangs up before they even find out what you're calling about.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

2. it's going to be interesting to see how this plays out.

[seaglass]

3. Push polled actually. One on behalf of a Repub running

against Marty Meehan during the last election cycle and a couple months ago on gay marriage.

On edit: I'm not sure the 2nd was really a push poll.

[democratreformed]

4. In the fall of 2002,

I got a call asking me to state how satisfied I was with how Bush was doing his job. When I stated "Very dissatisfied", the caller said "Oh" and hung up.

Does that count as a poll?

[Mattforclark]

5. So far nobody has said that they answered dishonestly

Why not?

If I were polled about consumer confidence right now, for example, I would say that I was very unconfident without hesitation, even though I am not particularly confident or unconfident. And if I were polled about Bush, I would say I was extremely unconfident about everything that he has done, even if I were actually somewhat confident about a few specific things.

[whistle]

6. Most polls, that is political surveys...

...are conducted using national random samples of 1,100 to 1,200 households by telephone. There are perhaps 50 reputable research companies in the U.S. that independently do such polls routinely. These are usually conducted once a quarter, but during election years are done more often depending on sponsors and money available for such research. Let's assume that for the rest of this year until a week or so before the November election, all of these companies will do such polls every two weeks. Thats about 4,286 completed surveys every day for the next 230 days or 985,780 calls and interviews that are made. A great many people can't be bothered answering such questions and as a matter of industry standard half hang up on the interviewer. So that doubles the actual number of contacts made to 1,971,560. Also, many of the calls made for such surveys are never answered because the residents are not at home, or households screen their calls. So survey companies typically use a no answered ratio of 7 to 8 non-completed calls per every ten calls made. Many of these calls are made by auto-dialers, much like telemarketing calls and people mistakenly assume such calls are sales calls, when they are actually calls to get your opinion. Thus by my calculations, just based on purely random calling by political research firms, during the next eight months approximately 15,800,000 such survey call attempts will be made to get you political views. Of those about 12.5% will actually get through to you, but half of you will either not have time to take the interview or just not want to be bothered. However that leaves about 6.25% of you who actually will do the survey. I hope you use that opportunity wisely and give complete thoughtful honest answers. The political direction of this country depends a great deal on what you all have to say. Oh, as for those of you on the DO NOT CALL lists, well that doesn't count when it comes to political polls, so please don't just hang up. Gave the interviewer a chance to explain their reason for calling. Your opinion counts too.:kick:

[Zomby Woof]

7. Zogby polled Zomby

A few days before the AZ primary this year.

[NoPasaran]

8. I've been called by the Texas Poll in the past

But have refused to participate.

I was exit polled on Tuesday and I did go along with that.

[HuskerDem]

9. Matt you gotta get some threrapy baby!

OK, maybe I do too. Come, we go to pollaholics annoymous together. Well, you you go to pollaholics and we all go to poll-anon for being such enablers. :grouphug:

[Padraig18]

11. I was just polled last night.

It was REALLY extensive, too. I was asked all sorts of questions about the primary in IL (specifically), the primary season in general, and about the GE. They also asked for my demographic information, political affiliation, etc. .

The poll was being conducted by the U. of I-Springfield. :)

[Malikshah]

12. Goodness, how the mind wanders...

Just take out one "L" in the term, and then reread some peoples subject lines...

I know, I know-- 7th grade humor.

I long to be polled. I'd say by the media, but I think but we've been "polled" by them long enough.

[rasputin1952]

13. Not only have I never been polled...

I don't know anyone personally that has admitted to being polled.

For years, I have been asking people if they have been polled, and consistently, the answer is, "No". While I realize that many polls are 'disingenuous' or perhaps 'push polls', those that truly try to get the public's pulse on issues, must be very selective in who they call.

I have received calls from Senate offices and many letters have been answered, but I'm not sure that a call from Chuck Hagel's office, and my discussing issues, would really be considered something of importance; as I have no idea if what I say is actually forwarded to the Senator. One thing is for sure, when my Rep is in town, or either of my Senators, I am there. It is the only way to send a clear message directly to that individual. (OK, this has nothing to do with polls, per se, but it is important to get tot he top of the heap. They look at polls, but if 50 people in a town meeting speak up against, or for something, they really do listen!).

In any case, congrats to Zomby, he seems to be the one that got a Zogby!

O8)

[HuskerDem]

14. They were just hot after his Z's

That's my theory.

[maxanne]

15. I have

a number of times - but I live in New Hampshire, and I suspect it's hard to avoid being polled here!

I was Zogby polled about 2 months before the NH primary.