A poll is either an election or a survey of a particular group. The word often refers to the election itself, as the place where voters cast their ballots is called a polling station. However, polls may also be surveys that merely canvass opinions and have no binding force. In this sense, a poll is often assumed to relate to politics, but it may simply refer to any survey of popular opinion.
Usually a poll is taken by asking a random sample of people a question. The sample is then calculated as a figure of the entire population, sometimes giving re-weighting answers based on how representative different groups were within the sample population.
Polls are frequently used by politicians in democratic countries to determine policies. Some think this is a good idea, other say this leads to a phenomenon known as "governing by the polls" which is devoid of real leadership.
We are currently polling teens and children and will furnish these figures in a future issue of the Vegetarian Journal.
Whenever you consider poll results such as these, be sure to remember the margin of error, which can make a great deal of difference, especially in subgroups.
According to this poll, the people most likely to never eat meat, poultry, or fish are those living on both coasts, residents of large cities, and women working outside the home.
The results nearly match those of a poll taken in October 2004, which showed 48 percent considered Bush a "uniter" and 48 percent called him a "divider," with 4 percent having no opinion.
Bush's inauguration was viewed by 69 percent, more than two-thirds of respondents, as a celebration by the winning presidential candidate's supporters rather than a celebration of democracy by all Americans, as 29 percent saw it.
Another 20 percent said it is acting as commander in chief of the military, up from 9 percent in a poll taken eight months before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
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