I don't trust surveys
Offline There are all these survey results all the time, yet I have never been asked to be a part of any survey. I've asked people I know if they have ever been a part of any survey, they all say no. I've never met a Nielsen family.
I think these surveys are unscientific and often made up. These political surveys are often way off the mark, because I think it's bullshit how they pick people to poll or they just pick the same people all the time. The closest I ever came to being a part of any survey was in the mall when someone asked me to come in to give my opinion on new product. Turns out they were just trying to sell me some crap.
So, I'm doing my own informal survey. Please answer Yes or No:
Have you ever been polled about your political opinion or candidates you will vote for?
Have you ever been part of an exit poll after voting?
Have you ever been polled about your religious opinions?
Do you know of anyone that has ever been polled about political or religious opinions?
Do you know of a Nielsen family or anyone that has been polled about TV and radio usage?
My answer is no to all of these.
Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society. The higher the tax level, the greater the failure. A centrally planned totalitarian state represents a complete defeat for the civilized world, while a totally voluntary society represents its ultimate success. --Mark Skousen
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"Anyone can repress a woman, but you need 'dictated' scriptures to feel you're really right in repressing her. In the same way, homophobes thrive everywhere. But you must feel you've got scripture on your side to come up with the tedious 'Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve' style arguments instead of just recognising that some people are different." - Douglas Murray
Yes to all except the exit polls. Weve been a neilson family twice - it's a pain in the ass keeping that log book.
Matt Shizzle has been banned from the Rational Response Squad website. This event shall provide an atmosphere more conducive to social growth. - Majority of the mod team
Yes. Once, in a local poll in Alaska.
No. And I've never seen any polsters at the exit, either.
Nope.
Nope.
Not at all.
"Yes, I seriously believe that consciousness is a product of a natural process. I find that the neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers who proceed from that premise are the ones who are actually making useful contributions to our understanding of the mind." - PZ Myers
No to all, but I used to work for a social research laboratory in college that was contracted by different groups to poll people and I can can tell you that the sample sizes for most polls aren't huge, but around 1000 people. You would be amazed how hard it is to get people on the line and have them agree to taking the poll.
I have been polled for other non political things before, just not the ones mentioned.
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Yoda
I think polls are useful if done right by a neutral party. The problem is they can ask the question in a way that affects the answer - for example the more neutral question "Should abortion be legally available?" might be asked by the nuts as "Do you think women should be allowed to murder babies they don't want?" or by NARAL as "Do you think women should have control over their own bodies?" Even worse are those "push polls" Karl Rove came up with - but then they weren't really taking polls either.
Matt Shizzle has been banned from the Rational Response Squad website. This event shall provide an atmosphere more conducive to social growth. - Majority of the mod team
Have you ever been polled about your political opinion or candidates you will vote for? YES
Have you ever been part of an exit poll after voting? NO
Have you ever been polled about your religious opinions? YES
Do you know of anyone that has ever been polled about political or religious opinions? YES
Do you know of a Nielsen family or anyone that has been polled about TV and radio usage? NO
Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin
http://hambydammit.wordpress.com/
Books about atheism
If you listen to Frank Luntz on Faux News who is their official pollster, he wrote a book about asking polls to get the answer you want. He is full of shit and it is a dishonest tactic. Yes, when I hear the word poll, I take it to mean an objectively neutral company asking questions in a way as to eliminate all bias inherent in the poller, poll, and questioning.
So Matt, would you say you beat your wife
0-3 times a day
3-6 times a day
or too many times to count.
0-3 times Sir, thank you for your time.
Lol, jk. I know you are not married.
Here is a Frank Luntz video getting his ass handed to him by Penn and Teller(and I don't support all their political views, but it is funny).
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Yoda
I'm curious about those of you that have been polled. How did the pollster find you?
I think a lot of people with a lifestyle like mine would never get polled. I spend about half my life now outside the USA, when I'm there, I pretty much just work long hours. I screen my calls. If someone approaches me in the mall, I avoid them cause they're just selling junk. I would never be a Neilsen family.
I listen to talk radio, and they talk about their ratings. How the hell would anyone know or find out about my listening habits? I think polls are highly scewed toward people with a certain lifestyle.
Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society. The higher the tax level, the greater the failure. A centrally planned totalitarian state represents a complete defeat for the civilized world, while a totally voluntary society represents its ultimate success. --Mark Skousen
Yes to all, but some of them not recently.
I live in Wyoming, and I get at least one phone call a week from some organization doing some kind of poll. I usually just hang up because I have no patience for that sort of thing.
Nobody I know was brainwashed into being an atheist.
Why Believe?