A legitimate survey, whether it be market research or a political survey, has some of the following characteristics:
-A statistically random sample representative of the population
- A carefully crafted survey that attempts to avoid creating any bias in how the questions are presented
- Well trained interviewers that stay to the script, and know how to ask probing questions without creating bias or influence.
A push poll tries to create bias and influence opinion. It really shouldn't be called a "poll" at all, but it tries to disguise its bias behind "survey" questions. A push poll will have the following characteristics:
- A list that targets as many as possible, sometimes segmented by some criteria
- Slanted and biased questions designed to create a negative opinion of the candidate or issue
- Call center phone agents that try to influence opinion and change behavior.
Be careful to know the difference. You could face a big backlash if you utilize a push poll. I know someone at another call center that wound up as the lead story on CNN, with cameras in his phone room, because a disgrunted supervisor, who didn't get a raise, called CNN and disclosed the shady tactics being used on a particularly hot race. Needless to say, that call center lost the candidate and they had to work hard to repair the terrible PR that they got.
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