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Why Americans Don't Trust the Polls and How to Fix Them Before It's Too Late

Eliot Foster

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Published in POLL ARIZED: Why Americans Don T Trust The Polls And How To Fix Them Before It S Too Late

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POLL-ARIZED: Why Americans Don’t Trust the Polls And How to Fix Them Before It’s Too Late

by John Geraci

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
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Americans have lost faith in the polls. According to a recent Gallup poll, only 32% of Americans have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the accuracy of polls. This is down from 55% in 2008.

There are a number of reasons why Americans have lost trust in the polls. One reason is that the polls have become increasingly inaccurate. In the 2016 presidential election, for example, the polls predicted that Hillary Clinton would win the popular vote by a comfortable margin. However, she ended up winning the popular vote by only a narrow margin and losing the Electoral College.

Another reason why Americans have lost trust in the polls is that they have become increasingly biased. In recent years, there have been a number of cases in which polls have been found to be biased in favor of one political party or candidate. This has led many Americans to believe that the polls are not fair or accurate.

The loss of trust in the polls is a serious problem. The polls are an important part of our democracy. They help us to understand public opinion and to make informed decisions about our government. If we cannot trust the polls, then we cannot make informed decisions about our future.

There are a number of things that can be done to fix the polls and restore trust in them. One important step is to increase the transparency of the polling process. Pollsters should be required to disclose their methodology and to make their data public. This would allow researchers and the public to scrutinize the polls and to identify any potential biases.

Another important step is to reduce the influence of money in politics. The Supreme Court's Citizens United decision has allowed corporations and wealthy individuals to spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns. This has led to a situation in which the polls are often dominated by the voices of the wealthy and powerful.

We need to take action to fix the polls and restore trust in them. The polls are an important part of our democracy, and we cannot afford to lose them.

## Here are some specific steps that can be taken to fix the polls:

* **Increase the transparency of the polling process.** Pollsters should be required to disclose their methodology and to make their data public. This would allow researchers and the public to scrutinize the polls and to identify any potential biases. * **Reduce the influence of money in politics.** The Supreme Court's Citizens United decision has allowed corporations and wealthy individuals to spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns. This has led to a situation in which the polls are often dominated by the voices of the wealthy and powerful. We need to pass campaign finance reform to limit the influence of money in politics. * **Educate the public about the polls.** Many Americans do not understand how the polls work. We need to do a better job of educating the public about the polls so that they can make informed decisions about the information that they are presented with. * **Encourage participation in the polls.** The best way to ensure that the polls are accurate is to encourage as many people as possible to participate in them. We need to make it easy for people to participate in the polls and to ensure that their voices are heard.

By taking these steps, we can fix the polls and restore trust in them. The polls are an important part of our democracy, and we cannot afford to lose them.

POLL-ARIZED: Why Americans Don’t Trust the Polls And How to Fix Them Before It’s Too Late

by John Geraci

5 out of 5