Has anyone on this forum participated in a Presidential poll this election year?

[Turin]

Has anyone on this forum participated in a Presidential poll this election year that was sought out by phone?

Of course I am NOT referring to online polls etc yet a polling data group contacting you by landline or cellphone?

If you answer yes ... could you explain if by landline, cell and how the pollster identified themselves?

 

[Kandahar]

Yes, the pollster called my cell phone and identified himself as being with the Washington Post. It wasn't just a quick presidential poll; it was a comprehensive survey of my political attitudes on various issues too.

 

[Turin]

Yes, the pollster called my cell phone and identified himself as being with the Washington Post. It wasn't just a quick presidential poll; it was a comprehensive survey of my political attitudes on various issues too.

How do you think they obtained your cell phone #?

 

[Anagram]

How do you think they obtained your cell phone #?

I'm pretty sure a lot of pollsters use Random Digit Dialing. Gallup, Quinnipiac, and some others do at least.

 

[Kandahar]

How do you think they obtained your cell phone #?

I dunno. My understanding is that they have a computer randomly generate phone numbers.

 

[Your Star]

Nope, I never pick up our landline.

 

[Turin]

I'm pretty sure a lot of pollsters use Random Digit Dialing. Gallup, Quinnipiac, and some others do at least.

Oh ... when I had a landline ...they had my name and knew if I was a registered voter. If they are just randomly dialing numbers ...how does that play in to polling?

I have never had a political or sales call on my cell and yet hundreds when I had a landline.

 

[Kandahar]

Oh ... when I had a landline ...they had my name and knew if I was a registered voter. If they are just randomly dialing numbers ...how does that play in to polling?

Supposedly it keeps it more unbiased to dial random numbers. I think that's how most of the public pollsters do it; the ones that already know your name and your voter status are probably producing internal polls for specific candidates, rather than polls for public consumption. I don't think most public pollsters would go to that trouble.

I have never had a political or sales call on my cell and yet hundreds when I had a landline.

Political polls on cell phones do exist, but they're still less common than on landlines (although pollsters are gradually becoming better about polling cell phone users). This is because US federal law says that you have to manually dial the numbers if you're going to call a cell phone, which essentially bans robopolls from calling cell phones. Additionally, the response rate tends to be lower from cell phone users...because they tend to be younger, and because some cell phone plans charge people by the minute.

 

[Anagram]

Oh ... when I had a landline ...they had my name and knew if I was a registered voter. If they are just randomly dialing numbers ...how does that play in to polling?

I have never had a political or sales call on my cell and yet hundreds when I had a landline.

It works pretty well going off area codes in actually reaching them. Although, the low response rate to polls on cellphones might be introducing some error in the polls due to self-selection.