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| | A '''poll''' is a survey of a group of people, often the public, about an issue in [[politics]], [[religion]], business or other subject matter. | | A '''poll''' is a survey of a group of people, often the public, about an issue in [[politics]], [[religion]], business or other subject matter. |
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| − | There are many different ways to conduct a poll. [[Straw polls]] are very common on the [[Internet]], like when they ask if you like [[Pepsi]] or [[Coca-Cola]] better. These are very unreliable because, like in phone-in polls, people can vote as many times as they feel like. | + | There are many different ways to conduct a poll. [[Straw polls]] are very common on the [[Internet]], like when they ask if you like [[Pepsi]] or [[Coca-Cola]] better. These are very unreliable because, like in phone-in polls, people can vote as many times as they feel like. [[Push-polls]] contact potential voters and ask questions intended to plant a message, usually negative, rather than gauging attitudes. <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,311957,00.html McCain Campaign Asks N.H. Attorney General to Investigate Anti-Romney Calls]</ref> |
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| | Random sampling is a method which is much more reliable because a large number of radomly chosen people each vote once on pertinint issues. Ther is always a [[margin of error]], like + or - 5%, because no poll is entirely accurate. | | Random sampling is a method which is much more reliable because a large number of radomly chosen people each vote once on pertinint issues. Ther is always a [[margin of error]], like + or - 5%, because no poll is entirely accurate. |
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| − | Exit polls are controversial, because voting is considered private, and exit polls ask people when they leave the booth how they voted. They usually ask only a fraction of the voters, but they're able to make a pretty good estimate of who's going to win the election. | + | Exit polls are controversial, because voting is considered private, and exit polls ask people when they leave the booth how they voted. They usually ask only a fraction of the voters, but they're able to make a pretty good estimate of who's going to win the election. |
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| | + | ==References== |
| | + | {{reflist|2}} |
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| | [[category:politics]] | | [[category:politics]] |