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Polsci Poll Policy Makers

Opinion polls are seen as beneficial by the public, with 73% believing they are a good thing. While polls aim to gather information rather than solve problems, they may indirectly influence policymakers and public opinion, although evidence of significant impact on election outcomes is limited. Some studies suggest a minor bandwagon effect exists, where individuals may change their votes based on polling results, but overall, polls do not appear to substantially alter public behavior.

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Jeanel Gregorio
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6 views2 pages

Polsci Poll Policy Makers

Opinion polls are seen as beneficial by the public, with 73% believing they are a good thing. While polls aim to gather information rather than solve problems, they may indirectly influence policymakers and public opinion, although evidence of significant impact on election outcomes is limited. Some studies suggest a minor bandwagon effect exists, where individuals may change their votes based on polling results, but overall, polls do not appear to substantially alter public behavior.

Uploaded by

Jeanel Gregorio
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How do you think the poll results might influence policymakers?

In my opinion, surveys have a similar impact on the public as any book, collection of data, or
discussion of current events. Undoubtedly, opinion polls can benefit the public by fostering
dialogue about pressing issues.

According to a poll on the matter, the public as a whole puts a lot of faith in opinion sampling.
When asked whether they thought the polls "were a good thing or bad thing in our country," 73%
responded that they thought they were "a good thing," while 21% indicated they weren't sure.
The purpose of current polls is to gather information; they rarely profess to be problem-solvers.
Instead of forming opinions or working out complex technological issues, they strive to record.
They might influence decision-makers and the general public in the same indirect way that any
published studies do.

It's difficult to establish whether the results of opinion polls genuinely influence the public. The
election polls serve as one test. If public opinion polls have a significant impact on the populace,
then differences of opinion throughout an election campaign ought to follow the polling results.
As the election nears, the front-runner should get stronger. Voters who were undecided or who
had supported the rival candidate should be observed hopping on the candidate's train of support.
Can we uncover any proof that such a tendency exists?

In a 1936 Literary Digest survey, Landon was clearly the winner. Landon lost the race by a wide
margin. In the 1940 election, a significant poll revealed that Willkie was becoming more popular
in the closing weeks of the campaign. He might have been, but he didn't win the election.

In the 1944 presidential race, the Gallup Poll released data indicating that a cross section of
voters believed Roosevelt would win, while 17 percent believed Dewey would win, and 12
percent were unsure. However, Roosevelt won the election by a margin of around 53 to 47
among civilian voters.

Therefore, prominent polling firms contend that election results do not support the "bandwagon
argument." The public appeared to support its candidates in general even when the chances were
against them. Opinion poll results did not appear to have a substantial impact on the public's
behavior.
Approach to solving the question: Essay

Detailed explanation: Local studies have shown that the bandwagon appeal does in fact exist
during a campaign, even though a genuine impact on the results of elections has not been
established. For instance, a study of the 1940 presidential election in Erie County, Ohio, revealed
that several people who switched their vote throughout the campaign said that the polls had
impacted their decision. There weren't many. However tiny the ultimate effects on the election
may have been, the analysis demonstrated that there may have been some bandwagon influence
in this situation.

Key references: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/polling-public-opinion-the-good-the-bad-


and-the-ugly/

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