# Do you answer public polls? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 23, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843 "2011-05-23T01:49:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/1 "2011-05-23T01:49:43Z")
Do you ever respond to public polls, which reveal who voted for what? I don’t, not sure why, unless the poll is about something particularly revealing. I just find it unnecessary to the outcome of the poll, and probably they skew the results if a significant number of people feel like I do, and avoid participating in public polls. It is now just a matter of principle. PTF ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/2 "2011-05-23T02:05:12Z")
I am much more likely to make a post which expresses my opinion on the topic of the poll than I am to participate in a public poll. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/3 "2011-05-23T02:40:09Z")
I sometimes participate in public polls. For the very mundane ones it doesn’t matter. Some of the more personal ones I take a pass on. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/4 "2011-05-23T02:42:59Z")
If it’s relevent to me, and I have a strong opinion, yes I do ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/5 "2011-05-23T03:15:12Z")
I don’t see the point of public polls at all, and have criticized people for posting them in the past. It feels like, when someone does that, that they want to know what a specific person or small group of people think about the subject. It’s intrusive and unnecessary, and smacks of possessing an agenda. The current one about political typology is okay, I guess, since it’s not about anything particularly earth-shattering. So, I pass on most public polls as a matter of course, though if it’s for something mundane I might still answer it. I mean, by the time you get more than 20 people answering a poll, you’re not going to remember who all voted for which options. It’s just pointless, unless you have an ulterior motive for wanting to know how a few specific people voted. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/6 "2011-05-23T03:17:24Z")
You ruined it. This should have been a Yes/No question with a public poll. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/7 "2011-05-23T03:22:06Z")
I don’t even come close to pretending that these polls are scientific or in any way representative of anything so I don’t particularly care. As for revealing personal facts, there are posters here who could tell you my most embarrassing stories so it pretty much comes down to less of a do I care if people know and more of a do I care if the information is trapped forever in the thread. ---
**Author:** ![alindallas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f17d59/32.png) [@alindallas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alindallas)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/8 "2011-05-23T04:22:40Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > You ruined it. This should have been a Yes/No question with a public poll. I agree strongly. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/9 "2011-05-23T11:23:25Z")
Depends on the poll. If it is something that is relevant I will and not too personal I will. Even if it is a private poll I usually do not take part in personal things. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/10 "2011-05-23T11:46:02Z")
Remember back when polls were instituted and everyone was worried about people not standing behind their actions? We wanted everyone to have to defend their position. I honestly don’t see the difference between posting and voting in a public poll. And very rarely are the polls even remotely personal, or anything I fear will be used against me later. When they are, I ignore the thread and dont’ vote. Or pick the silly answer if it’s available. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/11 "2011-05-23T13:36:05Z")
I don’t even notice particularly whether a poll is public or not. If it’s something in which I have an interest or hold a view, I’ll vote. Same as posting a comment in a thread - read but don’t post the ones which aren’t relevant to me. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/12 "2011-05-23T14:38:51Z")
I usually won’t vote in a public poll. Frankly, I wish that option were removed. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/13 "2011-05-23T16:45:55Z")
I normally don’t even notice it’s public unless the OP mentions it. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/14 "2011-05-23T19:03:34Z")
I sometimes vote in public polls but more often decline to participate in then. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/15 "2011-05-23T22:18:01Z")
I recall we had a similar thread 6-12 months ago but I couldn’t find it just now. I’m generally not inclined to vote in public polls. Somewhat inconsistenly I’m OK with making a posting such as this both giving and explaining my point of view whether the poll is public or private. Mostly I don’t want my name readily locatable as attached to a sound bite I didn’t write. The poll choices are usually too lumpy and black-and-white for my fine-grained sense of the shades-of-grayness common to almost all human affairs. In this poll I answered factually and went with “sometimes”. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/16 "2011-05-23T22:51:49Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > You ruined it. This should have been a Yes/No question with a public poll. Amen. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/17 "2011-05-23T23:04:01Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I just find it unnecessary to the outcome of the poll, and probably they skew the results… I think public polls only make sense if the purpose is to establish _which_ people voted which way. If you want aggregate results, a standard poll is better. > [@rachelellogram](#): > > It’s just pointless, unless you have an ulterior motive for wanting to know how a few specific people voted. I don’t see that the motive must be ulterior. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-answer-public-polls/582843/18 "2011-05-23T23:49:27Z")
If I’m willing to post in the thread, I’m willing to vote in the poll regardless of the public-private status. But there’s a good number of threads I skip posting in, though I think I might have something useful to say, because I don’t want to discuss certain things.