1. RiverWatch: The drawbacks of polling
2. RiverWatch: Eliminating surveys for better data gathering.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
My 84-year-old mother comes from a generation where phone calls were a rare occasion. In a time before answering machines and caller ID, she and her peers always answered their landlines. She still answers her phone promptly, even when it rings on her wrist while she’s in an elevator or out to dinner.
However, this dwindling cohort of Americans is one of the few groups still willing to participate in modern political polling. But do we really need political polling? And what effect is it having on our political culture?
A World Without Political Polling
Prior to 1960, there was very little reliable surveying of the electorate, even when everyone answered their phones. Yet, somehow, the electoral process functioned just fine without it. Candidates were able to identify their own beliefs and policy stances without consulting data. They sold their views to the electorate, rather than adjusting their positions based on polling data.
In contrast, today we are bombarded with polls every few days, months or even years before an election. This approach, pioneered by Bill Clinton in 1996, has distorted the political process. Candidates now govern by polls, adjusting their positions based on data rather than their own beliefs.
The Case Against Political Polling
It’s time to do away with political polling altogether. Polling not only distorts the political process but also leads to pandering and decreased voter turnout. By revealing what other voters think, polling encourages campaigns to adjust their positions to suit popular opinion rather than standing by their own beliefs.
Furthermore, polling has become a profit-driven industry, with news organizations partnering with universities to produce data that serves the interests of candidates and parties. This constant stream of polling data, conducted year-round, has led to voter fatigue and a degradation of the political process.
The Changing Landscape of Polling
The advent of cellphones and the internet has transformed the polling process, making it harder to reach a representative sample of the population. Social media has also changed how voters engage with polling, with some using it as a platform to voice their opinions rather than providing accurate data.
Additionally, polling now asks voters to weigh in on issues and candidates months ahead of elections, leading to inaccurate and misleading results. Voters’ opinions can change drastically between the time they respond to a poll and when they cast their vote.
The Call to Ban Political Polling
It’s time to ban political polling and return to a system where candidates stand by their beliefs and voters make their own decisions without being swayed by polling data. The constant barrage of polling only serves to distort the political process and diminish the power of individual voters.
Hal Phillips of Auburn has been a working journalist since 1986, and managing director of Mandarin Media, Inc. since 1997. His first book, Generation Zero: Founding Fathers, Hidden Histories & The Making of Soccer in America, was published in 2022. Rowman & Littlefield will publish his next effort in 2026. He can be reached at onintwo@maine.rr.com.
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1. RiverWatch: The impact of public opinion on environmental conservation efforts
2. RiverWatch: Exploring the effectiveness of stakeholder surveys in river management initiatives.
