Unfortunatly, there is a large segment of our population that is influenced by polls. There are a lot of weak minded people.
More over, there can be a snow ball effect, in that it may change how, how much of or if a story is covered, and the slant of that coverage. That does have a dramatic affect on some peoples beliefs unfortunatly.
The proliferation of polls artificially affects media interpretations of political campaigns in ways that, in my opinion are bad for the political system, the presidential campaigns, and public discussion." Dr. Hogan PSU
good brief article on polls in general
psu.edu
Tacet acknowledgment from the media:
Question : John King (cnn whitehouse reporter, do you believe that national polls influence the outcome of elections; i.e., do you believe that the frontrunner becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy?
John King: I think an overemphasis on polling by people in my business is dangerous in that regard. Many undecided voters tune in late and don’t pay as much attention, so they can be influenced by the desire to be with the "winner" -- if you will. So we need to be careful. In this case, the tight race makes that point somewhat moot, and from here on out, it is the state polls that matter most. The national leader is almost irrelevant, unless the lead gets into the 5-6-8 point range -- then you see evidence of a national wave.
....polls do not INFLUENCE beliefs. A lot of folks disagree. |
