Most election pollsters aren't really in it for the money

CNBC's The Big Crunch ^ | October 18, 2016 | Mark Fahey and Eric Chemi

[2ndDivisionVet]

*Most election polls are loss leaders, designed for marketing.
*Brand recognition is often the main goal, not accuracy.
*The real money is giving advice to campaigns.

Every day in this election cycle it seems like there are new polls about the presidential race, and it seems like somebody must be making a lot of money from all that data collection.

But here's the thing: Most of these polls were never meant to make money. They are just marketing and brand placement to help sell something else.

Even the biggest firms, like Gallup, give away political polls to promote the commercial market research for which corporate clients will pay hundreds of millions of dollars. Information like "how often do you shave?" and "what kind of razors do you buy?" helps consumer products firms hone their businesses.

Or take colleges and universities like Quinnipiac, Marist and Monmouth. If it weren't for their polling operations, you may not recognize those names at all. That brand recognition attracts more applications, better students and more prestige and tuition money for the schools....

[grey_whiskers]

I think they’re trying to avoid the coming flood of carts and tumbrils.

[VanDeKoik]

I’ve said many times that they are just products to sell to media outlets, like the horoscope and the crosswords.

They dont need to be right because they serve no official purpose in government.

[MUDDOG]

[cymbeline]

If I paid a pollster to tell me if I were winning or losing, would I want the pollster to put out a public poll giving the result I paid him for? No. I’d probably require the pollster to put out a poll that was distorted in my facor.