Pre- election polls unreliable, irrelevant

AFTER four years of endless, nonsensical news stories, boring panel discussions and outside “expert” opinions that have all failed miserably, CNN is adopting a new approach. That is, meddling in an election via election polls, all stating that Joe “boo- boo” Biden is well in the lead in the presidential race.

Pre- election polls can be, and are, wildly unreliable. No poll has ever guaranteed an election outcome. It is only how a small group of people feel toward a candidate at a specific point in time. It is not representative of the larger population and people can change their minds.

If the polls reflect the beliefs and wishes of a specific media, like CNN, then expect to see these results on the front page of all newspapers and television bulletins. If, however, the polls are contrary to the media’s desires, the polls will be buried. The same applies to letters. In some cases pollsters interview significantly more Democrats than Republicans, thus they “weigh” and adjust samples to suit their agenda, and the results are often skewed to favour the preferred candidate.

Polls thus try to shape opinion, rather than measure it; to influence rather than inform. For example, when CNN depicts Biden as “double digits” ahead of Donald Trump, Trump supporters may say, “Why bother to vote if Biden is so far ahead?” – thus depressing votes.

Most polls were wrong in 2016 when they predicted a Hillary Clinton landslide victory. The Electoral College has the final say, so a nationwide poll is irrelevant.

JOHN WHITLOCK | Germiston