Polling has turned the US election into a game. We need to take a reality check | Peter Pomerantsev
The proliferation of opinion polls on the presidential election makes it seem more like a sport involving personalities, when what these surveys should be doing is targeting policies
In Washington DC, I measure out my life in polls and heart palpitations. The polls are relentless, nail-biting, maddeningly contradictory. There are national polls, swing state polls, polls from tiny counties that predict a whole election, partisan polls designed to demoralise the other side.
There are polls on whether a candidate inspires confidence, compassion, leadership. I’ve noticed how, after a bad poll, I start looking for another that tells me numbers I like. I’ve also noticed how, after a good one, I will look for a bad poll to bring me down, as if I’m trying to prick the balloon of self-confidence and remind myself of “reality”.
Continue reading...Topics
-
World - The Guardian
England need to reset after Pakistan’s dynamic spin duo offer reality check | Andy Bull
Yesterday -
World - The Guardian
The Guardian view on the US presidential election 2024: a Democratic government is the one we need
4 days ago -
Sports - The New York Times
Virtual Reality Has the Rookie Washington Quarterback Embracing Mind Games
October 19 -
World - The Guardian
US students rally college voters on campus: ‘We brought the polls to them’
3 days ago -
Business - Financial Times
Trump takes lead over Harris on US economy in final FT poll
3 days ago -
World - Financial Times
What the polls can’t tell us about America’s election
Yesterday -
Sports - ESPN
The superhuman tales and Barry Sanders pace of Boise State's Ashton Jeanty
Yesterday
More from The Guardian
-
World - The Guardian
Middle East crisis live: Iran supreme leader speaks on Israeli attack; people injured after truck hits bus stop in Israel
24 minutes ago -
World - The Guardian
Georgia election: calls for protests as ruling pro-Russia party declared winner
5 hours ago -
World - The Guardian
Michelle Obama blasts Trump for ‘gross incompetence’ at Harris’s Michigan rally
13 hours ago -
World - The Guardian
Japan’s ruling coalition at risk of losing majority in election, exit polls show
1 hour ago -
World - The Guardian
Prince William: ‘I’ll show people how to prevent homelessness’
14 hours ago
Latest in World
-
World - ABC News
Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 22, officials say, while truck ramming near Tel Aviv hurts dozens
44 seconds ago -
World - ABC News
Bavarian tradition honors St. Leonhard, patron saint of farmers, horses and livestock
45 seconds ago -
World - The New York Times
Live Updates: Iran’s Leaders Stress Their Right to Respond to Israel’s Strikes
2 minutes ago -
World - The New York Times
Republic of Georgia Election
2 minutes ago -
World - ABC News
Georgia's crucial vote took place amid widespread intimidation, European monitoring officials say
16 minutes ago