# Do you participate when called on the phone by political surveys? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 21, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030 "2014-10-21T14:56:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **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:** [October 21, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/1 "2014-10-21T14:56:40Z")
'Tis the season for phone surveys about the upcoming midterm elections, and if you are in a battleground state, you probably get a lot of political surveys calling you. Do you answer their questions? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/2 "2014-10-21T14:58:39Z")
Hell no. I don’t even pick up the phone. It just encourages that sort of behaviour. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/3 "2014-10-21T15:06:07Z")
Sometimes, if I’m in the right mood. The right mood, and that their caller ID identifies them as a polling service. If it is “unknown caller”, I just don’t answer the phone. Trouble is, I don’t believe them. In the past, I’ve participated in customer “surveys” that were really ads. I like answering honest surveys, but the fake ones piss me off. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/4 "2014-10-21T15:10:31Z")
Obviously, I have strong political opinions and am not shy about expressing them. But poliitical surveys are a nuisance, and I generally don’t have the time or inclination to take part in them. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/5 "2014-10-21T15:10:46Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Sometimes, if I’m in the right mood. The right mood, and that their caller ID identifies them as a polling service. If it is “unknown caller”, I just don’t answer the phone. > > Trouble is, I don’t believe them. In the past, I’ve participated in customer “surveys” that were really ads. I like answering honest surveys, but the fake ones piss me off. Put me down as having said this same thing. A pleasant and friendly sounding caller with the right approach can usually coax me into wasting my time on such nonsense. Rude, poorly spoken, reading from a script types get the “click” almost immediately. Pre-recorded messages from politicians and beggars don’t get that much. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/6 "2014-10-21T15:17:51Z")
I like push polls, because I can mess with the results. “Hell, if I heard Sen. Blubberbutt was involved in kiddie porn, I would twice as likely to vote for him! That’s business experience!” Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/7 "2014-10-21T15:33:16Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Sometimes, if I’m in the right mood. The right mood, and that their caller ID identifies them as a polling service. If it is “unknown caller”, I just don’t answer the phone. > > Trouble is, I don’t believe them. In the past, I’ve participated in customer “surveys” that were really ads. I like answering honest surveys, but the fake ones piss me off. Same here - I always have my spidey-senses tuned to guard against push-polls. But a “real” poll, surewhynot. Although one can always tell which side the bread is buttered on even for legit polls, for the most part IMHO they are using polling to fine-tune their message at a granular level. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/8 "2014-10-21T15:44:58Z")
I will sometimes indulge the callier for a while, to see if the survey is actually impartial or not. If they refer to a political figure without proper title (for example “Do you believe Obama is …”) I just hang up. Their bias is clear at that point. Pre-recorded messages from politicians puts them on my ‘do not vote for’ list. The worst thing a politician can do in my case is have a machine call me the day before the election. When I see his name on the ballot, all I can think is ‘Oh right, that fucker that called me during dinner and didn’t even have the common courtesy to have a human to do the job.’ ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/9 "2014-10-21T15:57:18Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > I will sometimes indulge the callier for a while, to see if the survey is actually impartial or not. If they refer to a political figure without proper title (for example “Do you believe Obama is …”) I just hang up. Their bias is clear at that point. > > Pre-recorded messages from politicians puts them on my ‘do not vote for’ list. The worst thing a politician can do in my case is have a machine call me the day before the election. When I see his name on the ballot, all I can think is ‘Oh right, that fucker that called me during dinner and didn’t even have the common courtesy to have a human to do the job.’ Truth! ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/10 "2014-10-21T16:16:31Z")
I answered always, but in reality it is most of the time. I’ve been called like 5 times ever, and probably responded to four of them. Polls can really make a difference in how people think about elections, so I think adding my .00002 cents to the conversation is important. For example, a poll showing that a challenger I support is close to upsetting an incumbent may help people take the challenger more seriously; or if I support the incumbent, a poll may help people decide the challenger is a fringe nutball who doesn’t have a shot. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/11 "2014-10-21T16:19:13Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Hell no. I don’t even pick up the phone. It just encourages that sort of behaviour. +1 and all that. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/12 "2014-10-21T16:22:25Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > I will sometimes indulge the callier for a while, to see if the survey is actually impartial or not. I. > > Pre-recorded messages from politicians puts them on my ‘do not vote for’ list. The worst thing a politician can do in my case is have a machine call me the day before the election. When I see his name on the ballot, all I can think is ‘Oh right, that fucker that called me during dinner and didn’t even have the common courtesy to have a human to do the job.’ Right. Many polls are “push polls” and I make sure to vote against the fucktards who use them. Same with Pre-recorded messages. I respond to polls if they call me when I am not busy. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/13 "2014-10-21T16:38:16Z")
It depends on what I’m doing at the moment. I answered a poll last night, but it was about a bunch of propositions that I know nothing about. I told the caller that I was saving up all of my political mail and would go through it before voting, and he laughed. About 30 years ago, I did some political telephone polling, and I was the #1 person in our office for getting people to complete a poll. I have an extremely pleasant, non-threatening telephone voice. It definitely makes a difference in how people respond to a pollster. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/14 "2014-10-21T16:44:39Z")
Does anybody else see the irony in a poll asking people whether they participate in polls? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/15 "2014-10-21T16:53:29Z")
When they were very young, I used to hand the phone to my children and tell them it was someone who wanted to give them a pony. Now I just let the call go to the answering machines. I miss those good ol’ days (sniff). ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/16 "2014-10-21T17:45:00Z")
I will answer a phone survey if I have the time to do it. The most recent call caught me at a bad time; I informed the caller of this, and she understood, thanked me, and hung up. What I don’t like are the ones involving local politics where the caller can’t even pronounce the city’s name properly. I was going to add, “and it was obvious the person knew nothing about local politics,” but that applies to pretty much everybody from outside of that area unless it’s a really big city. Does anybody in Anaheim care about an election in Pasadena? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/17 "2014-10-21T18:06:20Z")
I’m not sure if this would’ve been a “survey”, but a guy running for state legislature left two messages on our answering machine that he’d called (calling back the number (since I had no idea who he was and I was on call that weekend) got me _his_ answering machine). Useful, since I now know who to vote against. ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/18 "2014-10-21T18:13:09Z")
I always welcome the opportunity to tell the surveyor how much I fucking hate everyone that he or she is asking me about. I make lot of joke posts. I’m not joking here. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/19 "2014-10-21T18:39:40Z")
I always respond. And if it’s a push-poll, I’ll complain about the questions until the caller finally hangs up on me. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030/20 "2014-10-21T18:41:09Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I like push polls, because I can mess with the results. > > “Hell, if I heard Sen. Blubberbutt was involved in kiddie porn, I would twice as likely to vote for him! That’s business experience!” This, oh so much this. If I get a chance to mess with pollsters, I will. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-participate-when-called-on-the-phone-by-political-surveys/702030.md?page=2)