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Polls about Polls
One of the most amazing — and significant — statistics of this election season has gone almost completely unnoticed:
Only 9% of sampled households gave an answer to pollsters in 2012:
It has become increasingly difficult to contact potential respondents and to persuade them to participate. The percentage of households in a sample that are successfully interviewed – the response rate – has fallen dramatically. At Pew Research, the response rate of a typical telephone survey was 36% in 1997 and is just 9% today.
The general decline in response rates is evident across nearly all types of surveys
jwb
October 1st, 2012
I have yet to find any data about people like me who love polls and participate as often as called. Of course, I lie…demographics, opinions, politics, etc. So easy to determine the objective of the polls.
Funny thing…the more willing one is to answer their questions, the more often one is polled.
Falsehoods and fabrications for Obama 2012!
Roadmaster
October 1st, 2012
So that’s the trick! I had a pollster call me just at dinner time and she went on and on and on. When the questions became redundant and started skewing towards a dopey dhimmicrat who I would have never voted for, I told her my supper was cold enough and hung up.
Stirrin the B.S.
October 1st, 2012
I never respond to surveys or polls for most of the same reasons cited in the pj tatler comments section, and it looks like most conservatives feel the same way.
I am the 91%!
Stevo
October 1st, 2012
iOTWers: Do you answer polls or just hangup?
Me, I hangup. I’ve responded to one phone poll in my life. It was about abortion, and I was impressed on how neutral the questions were. If I had to pick, I’d guess it was a pro-life outfit. If I had to put money on it, I’d pass on the bet.
Personally, I just don’t like talking to strangers who call me out of the blue.
Johnny Freedom
October 1st, 2012
I think people have gotten incredibly sick of being screwed with over the past 20 years.
Plus, Roadmaster is on the money… I’ve been called twice – at dinner time.
illustr8r
October 1st, 2012
I took one phone survey/poll. It was for the WA state Senate race-it was screwed for the Dem. I finally said no amount of re-framing of the questions would sway me to vote for anyone with a D behind their name. Goodbye.
Since then I have gotten many phone polls and I just hang up on them. My parents in OH do the same thing…they are so sick of the election…
Wouldn’t it be great if the 91% who won’t answer the poll are p!ssed off Conservatives who are giving a big Eff U to pollsters-and will vote R in November.
RANDO
October 1st, 2012
I hang up. Matter of fact, once, a couple of years ago, there was a TV news camera crew outside the polling place. As I left, the news rookie asked me on-camera who I voted for. I told her it was none of her damn business, and kept on walking.
eternal cracker p
October 1st, 2012
I answer all the polls. I take my time to let them know I’m voting democrat without question up and down the ballot. It’s what they want to hear and I like a good blindside.
SgtZim
October 1st, 2012
I was going to say only unemployed morons have time to waste on polls, but it looks like some like to screw with ‘em. At any rate, polls are utterly worthless.
Birdie Num Num
October 1st, 2012
I was contacted by a polling firm a couple of weeks ago.
I identified myself as an Asian female independent who planned to vote third party.(None of which is true).
Tracy
October 1st, 2012
The 90′s were nuts, when phone solicitation was an all day thing. When I was out and got back, my answering machine was loaded with crap. Then, donotcall.gov solved that.
I never answer pollsters. If a campaign calls,”I gave.” The best is when a recording calls to put you on hold. If I don’t know the caller the call’s over. Scams are elaborate and many.
ROMNEY | RYAN | 2012!
eternal cracker p
October 1st, 2012
I know when the conversation proceeds like this..
You, answering a call: “Hello?”
Them: “Hello?”
..It’s time to hang up. ‘Hello?’ is the receiver’s line, the caller can’t take it.
old_oaks
October 1st, 2012
I was in the garage today beating something, I ALWAYS win and some white PROG walks up the drive.
She says something about Natalie Manley, who I’ve been making fun of as “looking like” a MAN for about the past 3-4 weeks. She was arrested this last May.
I’ll save the short conversation dialog, but as she was walking away, her companion pointed out the “RepubliCAN DO IN ’72″ sticker on the back of my Jeep.
Then they jotted something down.
I think I just voted for MANley and Obama.
http://o1.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/PATCH/resize/273×203/http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/patch/38b046d56a477b59a0ff13fb62094071
BILL
October 2nd, 2012
only 9% answer the polsters questions ?
must be why we have obama phones !
Lazy & Incarcerated
October 2nd, 2012
I don’t do polls. I had one call me the other day and ask for me by first and last name. So I says: “is he an inmate or an employee?” Then after she apologized I went right back to what I was doing.
Reverend Ken
October 2nd, 2012
That iswhy I pay the 3 bucks a month for caller ID.
If it isn’t a known number……..