The Futility of Polls

What on Earth is the point of polls? Trying to guess the final outcome instead of just waiting for it. Analysing their guesses through extensive statistical methods. Naval gazing of the highest order!!!!!!

Utterly pointless.

Used to get mightily frustrated with pupils who, hainvg taken their exams, then spent a load of time trying to work out what grade they would achieve by estimating what the grade boundaries might be based on how hard they found the exam!!!

Futile and a complete waste of time.

Re: The Futility of Polls

What else is there to do whilst waiting for the result?......i must admit though Dex if Biden doesn't get in in the USA election it makes a mockery of all the official proffessional poll companies. I cant imagine anyone taking them seriously ever again.

Re: The Futility of Polls

The problem with polls is that not only do they have to get an accurate cross section of the population but they have to get people who will actually vote. IE in the UK the 60 or 70% who bother to vote. In the US every vote over 50%plus one is a wasted vote because of their crazy electoral system

They are very accurate in Australia because they only have to fulfill the first criteria because everybody votes.

If you realise that they have a margin of error and allow for that then they are pretty good.

Re: The Futility of Polls

The polls are trying to influence elections.

Re: The Futility of Polls

It's already a mockery - so far the result is much to close to call, and that contradicts by far the average of polls.

I am of the opinion that our (& that includes American) media is far too interested in pushing forward their own agendas than it is in reporting fact, and that (if we are honest) can really be the only reason for polling again being so wrong.
And the polling has been very wrong.

Our partisan media want to influence public opinion; it is no longer the impartial informer.

https://news.sky.com/story/us-electi...ended-12123289

Re: The Futility of Polls

If you loathe the left wing cretins on Sky News as much as I do, then this is compulsive viewing.

Here Dr Sebastian Gorka tears Kay Burley apart and exposes her utter incompetence and childish, virtuous opinions, live on TV last night during the election.

I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did.

Re: The Futility of Polls

Do some household chores? Perhaps help one's neighbours with a few odd jobs? Read a book? etc etc etc....

Or, heaven forbid, just wait and stop trying to second guess the outcome.

If I ruled the world, I'd ban all polls starting from 3 months before an election to 3 months after it. This would certainly curtail Bread's observation:

Re: The Futility of Polls

In UK elections, I have always lied when asked who I voted for.

Re: The Futility of Polls

In all my years, not once have I or anyone in my immediate family been asked.

I honestly do not see how asking sometimes just a few thousand people in a country of tens of millions could ever lead anybody to believing that interpreting these results could ever lead to an anywhere-near-accurate prediction.

Nothing I have seen from polls over the years is leading me to think any differently.

Re: The Futility of Polls

I agree. Plus I don't see what business it is of theirs how I voted.