Is it wrong to lie to pollsters?

[partly]

'tis the season of random calls from pollsters. My question is this: Is it wrong to lie to them?

I'm against polls for a lot of reasons -- mostly because they are unreliable and easily misinterpreted or skewed. I've studied statistics. I know how polls are run. I know that "representative sample" can mean that they only have to poll ~400 people in order to make a definitive statement on how the whole country feels. I also know that polls are voluntary and that people who choose not to participate don't matter, even if they happen to belong to the narrow demographic necessary in order for the pollsters to reach their "representative sample".

Beyond that, I know that there is a whole "psychology" behind the way the questions are phrased and read. I know that you can write polls to get a specific answer. I know that many times the first questions in a poll are "set up" questions, prepared to get people thinking a certain way and then the "final" question -- the one that shows up on the reported results -- are colored by all the prior questions. I even know that some people use polling with loaded questions and statements in order to feed specifically spun information to people.

Most of all, I am pissed at answering the phone taking the time to answer a couple of questions only to be told that my opinion doesn't matter because I don't fit the one demographic they are missing... after all they talked to someone who happens to be my sex or gender or age or education or zip code and therefor they know exactly how I think.

Polls as news are at best manufactured news (write a poll and then have a big news story about what it "means") and at worst a socially endorsed form of peer pressure.

So:

Is it wrong to lie and say that I am in whatever group they are looking for? Granted "gay 18-year-old Hispanic man from New York" is hard for me to pull off, but I can cover a lot of the choices they have. What if I fit the demographic but out-and-out lie about what my opinion is? For example: "Yes, I am a 43-year-old-once-married-mother-of-a-teenager and I definitely plan on voting for Candidate X" when I really plan on voting for Candidate Y. If I say Bugs Bunny or Winston Churchill rather than a real candidate, does that make a difference?

And if someone out there chooses to vote or not to vote based on a poll to which I provided unreliable information, who's the real idiot -- me for lying or them for voting a certain way only because of a reported statistic that doesn't mean anything in the first place.

Oh -- and would it make a difference if I was lying to someone at an exit poll?

Comments

[k-kinnison.livejournal.com]

that is one problem with survey's they rely on people telling the truth. If people make their decision based on polls or surveys then they would probably be better off using a Psychic, or Astrologer to be a part of their decision process.

As far as I know, polls dealing with the Presidential race are mot being used by the candidates, to decide where they should stump, and where to spend advertising money. one falsehood isn't going to do much in the long run... I think you should have fun with it.

And as far as exit polls, those are being used by the media to try and predic the winner... I would tell them I voted for Bill the cat

[partly.livejournal.com]

The only thing that makes me consider exit polls as something sightly different is that exit polls are sometimes used as a measure of the accuracy of the polls themselves. I know that in the past elections (US) when the exit polls differed considerably from the final vote count, the potential for fraud was raised. I usually decline answering exit polls.

[amilyn.livejournal.com]

Polls as news are at best manufactured news (write a poll and then have a big news story about what it "means") and at worst a socially endorsed form of peer pressure.

Oh, WELL SAID.

I am personal rather in favor of telling the pollsters to fuck off, but I'm thinking that your idea of lying to them? Brilliant; it derails the "accuracy" of the damned things even farther, calls into question the "science" behind them.

Lookie at my Sarah Jane!

[partly.livejournal.com]

I really despise political polls because they serve no purpose. I only consider lying to them because they are so destructive (IMO).

Despite my hatred of such polls, however, I do know that the science behind a great many well-thought-out, well-based polls and studies can be used for great good. For example, we have a program called "Social Norms" where the middle school/high school kids were surveyed over several years (and in an on-going process) regarding their views/attitudes/habits regarding drugs, sex, parents, etc. This data, then, is used to show that the average student does make good decisions and has good information. It's used as a sort of "positive" peer pressure -- where the program is trying to provide the students with enough information to be secure they not "everyone" or even "most kids" are engaging in negative behaviors.

My fear is that my lying and undermining the credibility of well-publicized, overly-hyped polls will undermine the credit of the good, well-crafted use of polls.

So, as much as I really think it would serve them right to be wrong... I usually just decline.

And I ADORE your Sarah Jane.

[donnickcottage.livejournal.com]

If it's wrong for you to lie...

You get the idea.

[partly.livejournal.com]

*sigh*

I know.

Plus, there is this unwritten agreement that you enter into when you agree to take a poll -- sort of a "I promise to tell the truth" deal. Even though I believe they have bad science and mal-intent, I can't get past the fact that *I* am engaging in bad behavior.

I just think it would serve them right. It's just not worth sacrificing my own ethics. And more than likely they would just use the bad results as an excuse to make more bad polls...

I do give it thought, though.

[donnickcottage.livejournal.com]

Just say no lass. No harm no foul.

[k-kinnison.livejournal.com]

That is why you should just go overboard and tell them something they SHOULD know is a lie

Who did I vote for? That is between me and my absentee ballot