Exit polls - Are they of any use?
Exit polls – Are they of any use?
It happens in every election season. As and when the final elections are set to come, people start counting on the exit polls. They are more eager to know about what exactly the exit polls are indicating. People start using it as a barometer to play some financial games before the election results comes. They check out the numbers of all the channels to get an idea on the expected winning party. At this point, it seems wise to ask are exit polls of any use?
Yes
• There is a planned way to conduct exit polls. If the right procedure is followed they can be a good source of information.
• It provides the local masses with an expected number. It is like getting a rough idea of about who is going to win the elections. It builds the Euphoria.
• Exit Poll results are bound to be more correct when there is a clear indication of an impressive leader during the campaigning season.
• Exit polls can be a useful means to detect the fraud in the elections. If there is a huge difference between the exit poll results and the actual results, the people can call for investigation.
• Exit polls deliver impressive results in the bipolar elections. The accuracy ratio is much higher.
No
• In the last five elections, exit polls were no way near to the actual election results. It doubts the entire process.
• They might give some directional indication but taking significant decisions on the basis of exit polls can prove costly.
• Exit polls cannot be seen as a true picture in India where the population is not homogenous and is divided as per caste, religion and region.
• People who vote from lower classes and the weaker section of society are never ready to disclose their votes. It can lead to huge discrepancy in India.
• Exit polls are not scientific based, and therefore it makes no sense in wasting time, energy and money on biased results.
• Exit polls cannot be accurate especially where two or more political parties at par in the competition.
Conclusion
Exit polls can be used a directional figure to guess who is going to win the elections. But the major decisions like taking positions in stock market should not be based on the exit poll results. There can be a great risk of losing the money. Real counting happens in a day or two, so it is better to wait for the real results.
Discussion
- RE: Exit polls – Are they of any use? -Deepa Kaushik (05/14/14)
- It is a complete wastage of time and money to count on the exit polls. The voting right is kept a secret for every individual with some important reason at the backstage. Asking to reveal their voting party is definitely not fair.
Also exit polls are based on the public poll who may or may not reveal the actual status. Also there is no scientific background to this type of counting. The polls thus calculated may not coincide with the actual results. This is one of the means by which the news channels try to maintain their program rating. The exit polls create an enthusiasm in the masses to know the latest updated status regarding the upcoming government.
These exit polls lead to speculations and the market faces a huge turn around because a huge number of people play with their finances during this period. In a country like India with the vote banks separated as per the caste, creed and religion, it would be highly risky to count on the exit polls for any upcoming result.
With lot many issues going against the exit polls, there is no necessity for the same. It would be fair to utilize the time and money on some constructive work which could assist in the development of the country and its citizens.
