Difference between revisions of "Straw poll"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
(added more content on were the term came from) |
(merge from Straw Poll (capitalized) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
A '''straw poll''' is a non-binding poll of the votes or preferences of members of a political convention. Often a "straw poll" is used to indicate who the leading candidates are in an upcoming election. The name "straw poll" came from the 17th-century writer John Seldon, who said: "Take a straw and throw it up into the air—you may see by that which way the wind is."<ref>http://www.worldmag.com/articles/13258</ref> | A '''straw poll''' is a non-binding poll of the votes or preferences of members of a political convention. Often a "straw poll" is used to indicate who the leading candidates are in an upcoming election. The name "straw poll" came from the 17th-century writer John Seldon, who said: "Take a straw and throw it up into the air—you may see by that which way the wind is."<ref>http://www.worldmag.com/articles/13258</ref> | ||
| − | + | A straw poll emphasizes the quantity of votes over quality. They are generally highly unreliable. For example, an online poll might ask viewers to click a button that corresponds to their opinion. Such a poll would be unreliable because nothing is known about the people who vote and they can vote over and over again.<ref>US Government and Politics</ref> | |
| + | ==See Also== | ||
| + | *[[Opinion polls]] | ||
*[[Iowa Straw Poll]] | *[[Iowa Straw Poll]] | ||
| − | |||
| + | ==References== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
| + | [[category:politics]] | ||
Revision as of 18:44, October 21, 2008
A straw poll is a non-binding poll of the votes or preferences of members of a political convention. Often a "straw poll" is used to indicate who the leading candidates are in an upcoming election. The name "straw poll" came from the 17th-century writer John Seldon, who said: "Take a straw and throw it up into the air—you may see by that which way the wind is."[1]
A straw poll emphasizes the quantity of votes over quality. They are generally highly unreliable. For example, an online poll might ask viewers to click a button that corresponds to their opinion. Such a poll would be unreliable because nothing is known about the people who vote and they can vote over and over again.[2]
See Also
References
- ↑ http://www.worldmag.com/articles/13258
- ↑ US Government and Politics