Polls

[candy331]

I tend not to believe polls. I have lived in this same city for 25 years and another for almost the same number years and have never received a call from a pollster. None of my family or friends have ever received a call either. The only calls we have gotten is from telemarketers trying to sell us something. So how do they pick these people they call? I'd like to get a call.

[rabid_nerd]

1. I don't believe in juries...

I have lived in the same city for 25 years and never recieved a call for jury duty. None of my family or friends either. They must not exist. Nor do lottery winners.

[AP]

2. I know people who have received calls from polling firms re politics and I

have received many re commercial things (local news, products, attitudes about organic food, etc.). Oh, wait, I got one about congressional races years ago and in 2002 primaries.

[carpetbagger]

3. I got a call about four years ago.

It was on a local gambling referendum and local elections/issues.

The person on the other end really got stumped when I identified myself as a Unitarian in response to the P,C,or J question. "Maybe I'll just put you down as other". It wasn't a judgmental thing, not like here in Texas when I take my kids to the hospital. It was just clueless, even with a 10 second description of the difference between Protestant and Unitarian-Universalist Christians.

[janekat]

4. Done several polls - the list of people to call are chosen randomly

and the top more reputable ones are done pretty scientifically. The one problem with phone polls, however, is that lower income Americans (Democrats usually) are less likely to have phones than the general population. It does cut out a segment of the population.

You have to poll a certain number of people (like several hundred to a thousand). In a city like Chicago - that's only going to be a small number of the population, of course. Most of the top ones are pretty accurate.

[TreasonousBastard]

5. I hear that a lot...

but it does not compute.

You've got worse odds of being called in a poll than winning the lottery if you fall into certain demographics.

When I liven in New York, I never got polled. And I never got polled when I leved in other towns in NJ.

In the 11 years I've lived here, I get called two or three times a year.

[MercutioATC]

6. I don't believe in gravity...

...it's a hoax.

[Renew Deal]

7. I've had calls from time to time.

They don't care who they talk to.