# Should we end polling? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 26, 2016, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801 "2016-10-26T20:06:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Vicsage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e68b1a/32.png) [@Vicsage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vicsage)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/1 "2016-10-26T20:06:27Z")
Are polling results causing more harm than good? Would we be better off if people lied to pollsters, that way politicians might actually say what they believe, instead of reading polls to decide on their public position and then voting on how they really feel? I think we should lie to them all the time and make them worthless. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/2 "2016-10-26T20:08:06Z")
Politicians represent _us_. Of course, not very well, but they sure aren’t going to be able to represent us _better_ by knowing _less_ about what we believe. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/3 "2016-10-26T20:22:58Z")
Even if we should (and I don’t think we should), there’s no way to do so. Campaigns will pay money for good polls, as will media outlets. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/4 "2016-10-26T20:25:28Z")
Should we repeal the 1st amendment? No. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/5 "2016-10-26T20:33:48Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Should we repeal the 1st amendment? No. Exactly. I can’t imagine how it could be done constitutionally. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/6 "2016-10-26T20:36:06Z")
People who hate polls believe that politicians lie about what they believe, instead saying what the polls predict the public wants to hear. I’m pretty sure that, without polls, politicians will _still_ lie about what they believe. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/7 "2016-10-26T21:05:08Z")
My opinion: An honest politician is not necessarily one who does what they believe is right. An honest politician is one who does what they promised to do. As for ending polling: I don’t see how obscuring information is going to help anyone. Politicians don’t have to run on issues at all. Imagine what would happen if a campaign boiled down to a referendum on whether sexual assault is worse than private email servers? ---
**Author:** ![Vicsage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e68b1a/32.png) [@Vicsage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vicsage)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/8 "2016-10-26T21:08:22Z")
Not saying we outlaw polls, which would be unconstitutional, I’m saying people should lie to pollsters, which they have the right to do. And campaigns can’t pay for good polls if a third of the populace is not telling the truth. A pollster can’t tell if someone is lying. Also I would rather know about what the politicians believe, than have them know what the people believe, since many times they don’t care what the people believe when it comes to voting on policies. They might still lie, but if they can’t quantify the advantage to it, maybe they will lie less. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/9 "2016-10-26T21:13:22Z")
> [@Vicsage](#): > > I think we should lie to them all the time and make them worthless. That would be too easy to see through. You need to lie to them 50% of the time, randomly. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/10 "2016-10-26T21:13:53Z")
So, your fear is that politicians will say they hold one position, but then vote contrary to that position? And your solution to this is to make sure they don’t know what to say, while still likely voting contrary to how people want? Wouldn’t it be simpler to just pay attention to how they actually vote in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![Vicsage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e68b1a/32.png) [@Vicsage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vicsage)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/11 "2016-10-26T21:26:02Z")
I believe they might say what they believe before I vote for them, and won’t be stuck with them for 2, 4, or 6 years. And I’m trying to imagine a campaign boiled down to a referendum on whether sexual assault is worse than private e-mail servers. Done, and that took very little imagination. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/12 "2016-10-26T21:27:49Z")
> [@Vicsage](#): > > And I’m trying to imagine a campaign boiled down to a referendum on whether sexual assault is worse than private e-mail servers. Done, and that took very little imagination. And are you happy with the results? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/13 "2016-10-26T21:29:15Z")
Can you give some examples of polls that you think resulted in a politician espousing a belief he didn’t actually hold, and getting elected because of that? I’m having trouble picturing your proposed solution. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/14 "2016-10-26T22:17:24Z")
Not necessarily outlaw them but will early polls cease to be important. If I had been asked last summer, I would have given an honest answer but I had not given it a lot of thought. Viable candidates might have been eliminated without even getting consideration. ---
**Author:** ![Vicsage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e68b1a/32.png) [@Vicsage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vicsage)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/15 "2016-10-26T23:42:07Z")
An example of a candidate using a poll. The TPP Is opposed by the majority of people(Caldwell and Associate poll) and a strong argument could be made that Hillary has always been a strong supporter of trade deals and that she has modified her stance on this one, due to polling numbers and also to get Warren on her side. If the polls had shown a favorable view by the populace, you can bet she’d be pushing for it. If polling was not an issue, she’d be more likely to state her real opinion on the TPP. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/16 "2016-10-27T01:07:14Z")
People are voting for Trump of all sorts of reasons, but we are now at the point where 43% of America would believe anything coming out of one mouth. If you want to find out what nearly half of America will think tomorrow you just need to ask one person. ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/17 "2016-10-27T02:36:12Z")
> [@](#): > > My opinion: An honest politician is not necessarily one who does what they believe is right. An honest politician is one who does what they promised to do. You are very close to the thinking of H.L. Mencken (about 90 years ago). Mencken wrote that “An honest politician is one who, when he’s bought, stays bought.”. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/18 "2016-10-27T02:48:36Z")
> [@Vicsage](#): > > I think we should lie to them all the time and make them worthless. That’s right, because the whole basis of democracy is that what people believe is worthless. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Vicsage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e68b1a/32.png) [@Vicsage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vicsage)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/19 "2016-10-27T03:41:33Z")
Never said what people believe is worthless. Because of polls, what politicians say is worthless. I will write without pronouns to avoid confusion. Politicians say what the people believe, but not what the politician believes. So the politician lies about what the politician is going to do, just to get the votes of the people. The politician doesn’t care what the people want, the politician is going to vote the politician’s agenda. If the politician had no clue (polls) to what the people believed, the politician is more likely to state his beliefs, since most politicians truly think their beliefs are mainstream, even if they are not. I would rather know what the politician believes, than have him know what I believe. The politician will not do what I or the people want if the politician disagrees. (I know I used the pronoun I, but to use my name sounded too Bob Dole-like). ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801/20 "2016-10-27T03:49:53Z")
> [@Vicsage](#): > > Never said what people believe is worthless. Because of polls, what politicians say is worthless. I will write without pronouns to avoid confusion. Politicians say what the people believe, but not what the politician believes. So the politician lies about what the politician is going to do, just to get the votes of the people. The politician doesn’t care what the people want, the politician is going to vote the politician’s agenda. If the politician had no clue (polls) to what the people believed, the politician is more likely to state his beliefs, since most politicians truly think their beliefs are mainstream, even if they are not. I would rather know what the politician believes, than have him know what I believe. The politician will not do what I or the people want if the politician disagrees. (I know I used the pronoun I, but to use my name sounded too Bob Dole-like). Well I also thought that Bob Dole was wrong, and that is why I voted for Clinton. As for the matter at hand, it turns out that a lot of the assumption that Politicians are not going to do as promised is not quite correct. > **[Trust Us: Politicians Keep Most Of Their Promises](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/trust-us-politicians-keep-most-of-their-promises/)** > > Regardless of what happens between now and the GOP convention, there is little doubt that Donald Trump has undermined our understanding of primary politics. It … > [@](#): > > Regardless of what happens between now and the GOP convention, there is little doubt that Donald Trump has undermined our understanding of primary politics. It will probably be years before political scientists fully understand the Trump phenomenon, but much of his appeal seems to stem from the image he has cultivated that he is “not a politician.” Voters, the claim goes, can’t trust politicians, particularly to keep their promises. But they can trust Trump. The problem with this claim? It gets reality almost exactly backward. > > In framing the choice this way, the Trump campaign is tapping into a widespread belief Americans have about politicians: They lie. A Rasmussen survey in 2014 found that just 4 percent of likely voters that year believed that “most politicians” kept the promises they made on the campaign trail, while 83 percent did not. (The remaining 13 percent were undecided.) Similarly, when The New York Times asked respondents in 2009 if President Obama would be able to keep his promise not to raise taxes on Americans making less than $250,000 a year, 56 percent said no.1 More broadly, the General Social Survey in 2012 asked people whether they agreed that candidates elected to Congress try to keep the promises they made during the election — a majority (59 percent) disagreed. > > It turns out, however, that in this case, the majority is wrong. > > Political scientists have been studying the question of campaign promises for almost 50 years, and the results are remarkably consistent. Most of the literature suggests that presidents make at least a “good faith” effort to keep an average of about two-thirds of their campaign promises; the exact numbers differ from study to study, depending on how the authors define what counts as a campaign promise and what it means to keep it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-end-polling/769801.md?page=2)