Polls
No, I do not pay attention to polls. Although polls have been pointed to be one of the factors that can be used to illuminate on some of the challenges facing the community, personally I have a contradicting perspective on their role in the society. Users need to be careful in referring to the information as most of the researching companies don’t provide facts about the methods used in obtaining the data. It is, therefore, important to conduct extensive background research to establish the validity of the polls and the methods used to collect and analyze the data (Miles, 2015). The advancement in technology has significantly contributed to the growth of these research companies as they can conduct and assess many studies within a short period.
The increased discussions on the effectiveness of the polls in different fields including health, economic, and political have elaborated the increased concerns of their purpose in community development (Pfetsch, Mayerhöffer & Moring, 2014). Moreover, in most cases, polls provide conclusions that are contrary to what the community believes. Equally, these companies consider the opinion of a sample of the larger population which in most cases does not represent a good fraction of the public opinion. This limits its validity to the society and misguides the users in getting the wrong picture of the aspect being studied.
According to Aalberg and Van Aelst (2014), it is advantageous to use surveys to air out views to leaders as it acts as a better platform for persons concerned to know the areas to improve. Although polls help in highlighting the opinion of the public on different aspects, I do not pay attention to them since the research organizations fail to provide the essential aspects of the activity including the classes of people interviewed and the alternatives to the problems identified. Paying attention to polls means I will be consuming unverified information that is harmful to cognitive development.
Questions
What re the major impact of polls to the community?
How do you think the research companies can improve on their poll techniques?
Which other aspect do you think make people not to take keen interest on polls?
References
Aalberg, T., & Van Aelst, P. (2014). Who is afraid of pre-election polls? How perceptions of polls influence support for polling regulations among elites. International Journal of Public Opinion Research. 26(4), 517-530.
Miles, M. R. (2015). Polls and elections some folks you just can’t reach: The Genetic heritability of presidential approval. Presidential Studies Quarterly. 45(4), 760-777.
Pfetsch, B., Mayerhöffer, E., & Moring, T. (2014). National or professional? Types of political communication culture across Europe. In Political Communication Cultures in Europe (pp. 76-102). Palgrave Macmillan, London.